Raging Bull (1980)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana

First, The Lowdown: A middle-weight boxer spends as much of his life fighting outside of the ring as in it.

“…The good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision”

Sun Tzu, The Art Of War

Boxing as a sport is something I’ve never personally understood, only conceptually. The idea of two men stepping into a ring and pummeling each other until one submits or passes out from his injuries has never had very much of an appeal to me. But as with other sports, while I might not consider myself a fan I definitely like looking at the cultural impact boxing has had on our society. Much of our cultural language – both verbal and otherwise – comes from the pugilistic arts. As an organized sport it’s over a century old (just barely seconding to pro baseball by about 30 years), and has since evolved from gloved “gentlemen’s matches” to the full contact melees of Ultimate Fighting.

Jake LaMotta is a middle-weight boxer that enjoys fighting – period. The thrill of a fight is almost like a drug to the man, and oftentimes he will stretch out a fight to remain in the conflict. In the movie’s opening match, Jake is showing signs of wear at the 10^th round of a brutal match. With only seconds to spare, he rebounds suddenly to brutalize his opponent, but it’s not enough – he loses by Technical Knock-Out when the round ends.

Jake’s love of conflict doesn’t end there, though. At home he frequently belittles his wife and starts arguments with her for no apparent reason. The only person who seems to be able to corral his passionate temper is Joey, Jake’s brother. Joey knows that it’s Jake’s rage that fuels his bouts and keeps him on his feet. Like a vitalizing draught, Jake’s anger is what keeps him alive in the ring.

Having separated from his wife, Jake turns his eyes toward Vickie, a teenage beauty in his neighborhood. The two fall in love and quickly get married. For a while it appears that Jake may have finally achieved the balance between passion in his relationship and rage in the boxing ring that he so desperately needed.

Both nothing ever truly lasts, and after winning match after match, Jake is still nowhere near fighting for the middleweight championship that he truly desires. Unfortunately the only way he can do so is by kowtowing to the mafia family that controls the boxing organization. This point of contention unbalances him even more, leading him to take out his frustration on both his wife and brother again. Finally in frustration, Jake lays his hands down and throws a match – a move that opens him up to investigation by both the boxing commission and the FBI. The move proves beneficial though – after his suspension, Jake is allowed to fight for the title and wins it.

Raging Bull is a movie that multiple people had recommended to me previously, but I didn’t know much about it. Mostly I came to it knowing that it was a biopic of Jake LaMotta without really knowing who the person was or what the movie was about. Summarizing it as the tale of a “burnt-out boxer” is like saying that 2001: A Space Odyssey is about space.

De Niro’s portrayal of LaMotta isn’t a terribly sympathetic one, but it’s one of the few instances where the audience isn’t supposed to empathize with the focal character in order to be drawn into the story. LaMotta is a perfect example of how one can be too talented at one thing – his mastery of boxing has made him a legend in the ring, but nearly an animal everywhere else.

Line of the movie: “You didn't get me down, Ray.”

Five stars. Take it like a man.