The common logic in a film is that there is a character in which the audience can sympathise with and/or relate to, but as in many Martin Scorsese films we are given characters that are not very likeable, sometimes psychotic, and in the case of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull a thug who is rotten to everyone in his orbit, including himself. It is a brutal story. Since we are never given any insights into his early life we don't know how he got yo such a place. He is a goon, but there a moments when you cannot help but feel sorry for him,especially after he takes a dive for a fighter of a lesser stature than himself, and then subsequently loses his boxing licence for a period of time. We feel his grief at haven taken this deal. Robert DeNiro does a brilliant job creating this character. We sympathize with his wife, played by Cathy Moriarty, as she absorbs a lot of his anger and frustration. But it is Joe Pesci as his long suffering brother stands out as being the voice of reason throughout the film, weathering his brother's wild fluctuations in behaviour. It is not a film that I watch very often but give it a viewing at least once a decade. It is stunningly beautiful and reminds me how much I wish there were more black and white films being made.
Review of Raging Bull
