I put off watching this movie for a long time, even after I'd seen many other Scorsese flicks. When he's on top, Marty delivers the goods. When he's not, it's a chore to watch. This movie is somewhere in the middle. It has received many accolades, but I didn't care for it.
Frankly, I only stuck watching the film all the way through, was for the infamous line 'you f*&( my wife?'. I never saw the scene, I just heard the quote many times over the years.
Well, it wasn't worth the wait. The movie was pretty bland. I was hoping for a lot of good fight scenes, but it's not a boxing movie. I was hoping for much drama, but nope, it's all about Jake LaMotta being angry, being a jerk. There's not much range here. And there isn't any original story arc or plot. So much stuff just jumps around, we're basically watching a highlight clip of the guy's life.
There's a few gimmicks to boot. Shooting it in black and white was interesting, but doesn't add to or improve the quality of the viewing experience. And DeNiro's wait gain was impressive, but was it really worth it? I'm just glad he was able to drop the pounds after. He did the same weight gain for Untouchables, which was much better as his heavier self was featured in most of the film.
This is not a movie that will enlighten you, or change you, or change your opinion of LaMotta, if you even had one. It's just there. I don't get the love for it, it's not outstanding in any way. Perhaps the only true highlight of the film is Joe Pesci's big time breakout performance. He really steals the movie. But he does become a victim of his own success, but playing the same character in every movie after this one.
I would only recommend this movie for anyone who is a Scorsese completist and just wants to finish seeing all his flicks. If you don't ever get to see it, you aren't missing much.
Frankly, I only stuck watching the film all the way through, was for the infamous line 'you f*&( my wife?'. I never saw the scene, I just heard the quote many times over the years.
Well, it wasn't worth the wait. The movie was pretty bland. I was hoping for a lot of good fight scenes, but it's not a boxing movie. I was hoping for much drama, but nope, it's all about Jake LaMotta being angry, being a jerk. There's not much range here. And there isn't any original story arc or plot. So much stuff just jumps around, we're basically watching a highlight clip of the guy's life.
There's a few gimmicks to boot. Shooting it in black and white was interesting, but doesn't add to or improve the quality of the viewing experience. And DeNiro's wait gain was impressive, but was it really worth it? I'm just glad he was able to drop the pounds after. He did the same weight gain for Untouchables, which was much better as his heavier self was featured in most of the film.
This is not a movie that will enlighten you, or change you, or change your opinion of LaMotta, if you even had one. It's just there. I don't get the love for it, it's not outstanding in any way. Perhaps the only true highlight of the film is Joe Pesci's big time breakout performance. He really steals the movie. But he does become a victim of his own success, but playing the same character in every movie after this one.
I would only recommend this movie for anyone who is a Scorsese completist and just wants to finish seeing all his flicks. If you don't ever get to see it, you aren't missing much.