Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull is a true masterpiece, one that asks hard questions and gives no easy answers. Shot in gritty black and white, it tells the true story of boxer Jake La Motta's rise to stardom and eventual disappearance from the limelight. Watching it a second time, I found the film surprisingly noir. Here we have a man fated for self-destruction, unable to control his excessive temper and inhuman jealousy. We have a tragic antihero, a flawed man whose rage grants him success in the ring and ensures his downfall outside of it. We witness a filthy, vulgar underground; we are awash in blood and sweat and raw anger. It is an experience we will never forget.What everyone remembers when they first see this movie is De Niro's undeniably skilled portrayal of La Motta. And for good reason--it is a powerful, gripping performance. Some have zeroed in on Pesci's equally talented acting job, and one equally worthy of praise. But what I cannot get out of my mind after this viewing is Thelma Schoonmaker's brilliant editing and Scorsese's unerring cinematic eye. Together, they are simply on a level all their own. The overarching structure reveals just as much as the content therein. The camera movements, the decision to film in long takes or quick cuts, are crucial to our experience of it. We remember snapshots in time, we remember the shift of conversations, of moments in time, and of changes in emotions because the techniques employed are subtle and subconscious. The sheer technical bravado on display is jaw-dropping. It is through the editing and cinematography that we truly live this movie, that it takes on realism that few other movies have been able to replicate. As I said before, it is an experience we will never forget.
To watch this movie is to submit yourself to a terrifying worldview, to violence in the ring and abuse in the home, to unwarranted jealousy in the face of true fidelity, to paranoia that can forever damage family ties, and to the fears of inadequacy. To a man who desparately wants to change and cannot. This movie is effective at bypassing your mental defenses, which makes it all the more difficult to sit through. It plays with time, color, and words, seemingly innocently but ultimately to devastating effect. The few short moments filmed in color we see happiness; these fleeting memories occur in the midst of pain and destruction. Is it to punish us or to encourage us? And at the end, is there redemption? You must watch this movie and determine the answers for yourself. For me, I cannot recommend it enough.
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/