- Director
- Writers
- Jake LaMotta(based on the book by)
- Joseph Carter(with)
- Peter Savage(with)
- Stars
- Director
- Writers
- Jake LaMotta(based on the book by)
- Joseph Carter(with)
- Peter Savage(with)
- Stars
- Won 2 Oscars
- 24 wins & 28 nominations total
Videos7
- Director
- Writers
- Jake LaMotta(based on the book by)
- Joseph Carter(with)
- Peter Savage(with)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen the real Jake LaMotta saw the movie, he said it made him realize for the first time what a terrible person he had been. He asked the real Vicki LaMotta "Was I really like that?". Vicki replied "You were worse."
- GoofsEarly on in the movie, Jake tells Joey to punch him. Joey does so, repeatedly, and leaves his ring on thereby cutting Jake with each new punch. Yet right before he throws the last punch, all of the puncture wounds in Jake's forehead have been removed.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Jake La Motta: I remember those cheers / They still ring in my ears / After years, they remain in my thoughts. / Go to one night / I took off my robe, and what'd I do? I forgot to wear shorts. / I recall every fall / Every hook, every jab / The worst way a guy can get rid of his flab. / As you know, my life wasn't drab. / Though I'd much... Though I'd rather hear you cheer / When you delve... Though I'd rather hear you cheer / When I delve into Shakespeare / "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse", I haven't had a winner in six months.
[he lights a cigar]
Jake La Motta: Though I'm no Olivier / I would much rather... And though I'm no Olivier / If he fought Sugar Ray / He would say / That the thing ain't the ring, it's the play. / So give me a... stage / Where this bull here can rage / And though I could fight / I'd much rather recite /... that's entertainment.
- Crazy creditsThe film is in black and white, but during the opening credits, the title is in red letters.
- Alternate versionsCBS edited 8 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
- ConnectionsEdited into Repeat Photography and the Albedo Effect (2008)
- SoundtracksCavalleria rusticana: Intermezzo
Music by Pietro Mascagni
Performed by Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna (as Orchestra of Bologna Municop Thetra)
Conducted by Arturo Basile
Courtesy of RCA, S.P.A.
The film, adapted from another source, revolves around the rise and fall of Jake LaMotta (deNiro), an ambitious middle weight fighter who has struggled for years along with his manager brother (an unforgettable Joe Pesci) to get a shot at the title for the middle weight champion of the world. Frustrated with himself and the life that he's had to lead, LaMotta presents the complex mind of a self destructive man who's inhumanity and self-destructive nature push him away from all the people in the world that love him and ultimately transform him from a prize fighter into an overweight sleaze with nothing but the clothes on his back. From the flawless and gripping boxing scenes to the raw yet accurate portrayal of his abusive habits towards both his brother and wife, "Raging Bull" succeeds on absolutely every level.
DeNiro's performance in the film is unquestionably his finest piece of work in his own personal career, if not throughout the history of cinema altogether. Completely believable as a boxer, he furthermore went on a diet to put on 60 pounds for his scenes situated in the latter half of the film when he has hit rock bottom which is testament to both his dedication and his unparalleled skill of establishing a believable character. Joe Pesci is absolutely brilliant as his portrayal of Jake's brother, Joey LaMotta, and considering the fact that was one of his first feature films in the spotlight, he completely delivers a character who loves his brother unquestionably but who also has internal struggles regarding his own nature and his methods of dealing with his brother. I fell in love with Joe Pesci due to his performance here, and he is clearly one of the more talented and gifted actors within Hollywood.
Scorsese is also in top form, and you can feel his presence, his brilliance and his uncompromising dedication to showing you the real life and times of Jake LaMotta in every single piece of footage presented to you on the screen. Martin Scorsese illustrates the reason why he is considered by many to be cinema's greatest film director of all time as he takes you on a journey of Jake LaMotta's personal and public existence. Scorsese doesn't leave anything out, and his brilliance obviously lies within the fact that he can illustrate everything about a character in the simplest of scenes to make you empathise but simultaneously make you comprehend the various fundamental layers of such a despicable character in cinema history. And on top of that, he can make you like the character and hate the character at the exact same time - a brilliance unprecedented throughout Hollywood and surely testament to Scorsese's superiority to directors such as Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood who, despite having tremendous talent, cannot realistically present characters to the extent that Scorsese can.
Further supporting cast members, Cathy Moriarty and Frank Vincent deliver completely credible characters with Moriarty well deserving of her Oscar Nomination for her performance as Vickie. The editing was completely flawless and top notch throughout the entire feature with Scorsese's other partner - Thelma Schoonmaker - bringing Scorsese's incredible vision to life once more without a single complaint in the world. Brilliant cinematography ensured a visually compelling piece of work, exemplified further by an Oscar Nod towards this element of the picture also.
All in all, this is arguably the finest achievement from the Scorsese-DeNiro partnership, and it delivers everything that you would predict from our beloved Martin Scorsese. Love, deceit, hate, an underlying theme of violence, some of the best acting ever put on film as well as some of the most brutal and compelling sequences of boxing you'll ever see: all are shown with flamboyance and an honest brutality that we've come to accept as the trademark of Martin Scorsese in this poignant tale of one man's annihilation of self. And who is the only director who could realistically bring this to life? We all know the answer.
Well done, Mr Scorsese. Regardless of what the pretentious fools responsible for the decisions that the Academy makes, the people are fully aware of who the best director in town is.
"Raging Bull" is flawless and perfect. 10 out of 10, all the way.
- MrSharma
- Oct 2, 2005
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $18,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $23,383,987
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $128,590
- Nov 16, 1980
- Gross worldwide
- $23,402,427
- Runtime2 hours 9 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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