Spoiler Alert: Anger Management STAT

Movie: Raging Bull

Rank: 4

Year: 1980

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci

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This guy is a douche. You could easily substitute douche with asshole, pervert, aggressor, predator, statutory rapist or abuser. Not entirely sure if this is the type of biting, humorous or insightful commentary of which you have come to expect (or not) from me. However, in my efforts to be succinct following a rather verbose outing with Titanic, I find the need to call Raging Bull like I see it: the true story of an aggressive boxer taking his abuse in and out of the ring, damaging relationships and his career along the way. Also notable, he has a proclivity for youthful girls. I say girls because he was a married man pursuing a 15-year-old.

Shout out to the great decision making that is cheating on your wife with a high schooler in front of pictures of Mary and Jesus.

Based on the autobiography by the same name, this movie tells the story of Jake LaMotta, also known as “The Bronx Bull.” He leaves his wife for a teenager, whom he marries and abuses. He drives his child bride and brother away through paranoia and violence. His strong sense of confidence makes him a valiant fighter and horrible loser.

While this is not entirely meant to be a feminist rant against the patriarchy and toxic masculinity that clearly fostered a person like LaMotta, I must say “Woah!” (Insert Joey Lawrence sound effects as you see fit). This dude’s issues are not excusable based on, but clearly emboldened by his environment.

As was the case with The Godfather, this feels distinctly male. Not just male in its subject matter, but male in its fan base who see it as a touchstone. As I progress through this list, I am continually confronted with this truth. It leads me to wonder about the makeup of the voting body. But, honestly, what is there to wonder. The strides made for equality and representation in Hollywood have only been made in the last few years and are still works in progress. It would be naïve to think the voting body wasn’t a total sausage fest. It is also negligent to not reflect on the fact Hollywood itself is and was a total sausage fest.

"So gimme a stage, where this bull here can rage."

- Jake La Motta, Raging Bull

Now, the question should be asked, should distaste for the subject lead to distaste for the film? Watching it, I understood the technical mastery. The deft direction, the transformative acting, the artful camera work. However, the character in most ways was unlikable and came off as rather unredeemable. Raging Bull serves as a character piece more than anything, so these unpleasant qualities are rather important to the film, or at least the processing of it. Maybe it even could be considered great, but the fourth greatest of all time? To be blunt, nah. I don’t even think it should qualify as the greatest Robert De Niro or Martin Scorsese movies.

Cathy Moriarty, not to be confused with the Sherlock foe, played Vickie LaMotta with endearing subtlety and badass fierceness. However, it is hard to see her take on any role outside of Casper. Somehow, Raging Bull really went out of its way to cast the villains of my childhood. In keeping with the title of my blog, [Spoiler Alert]: Moriarty will forever be less of a LaMotta and more of a Carrigan Crittenden, the greedy woman who inherited the house in which Casper and his ghostly uncles reside, in my eyes. Similarly, Joe Pesci is likely the prototype of the movie mobster for an entire generation. However, for those of us with a 1990’s birth year, he is Harry, one of the burglars outsmarted by a precocious, and possibly psychotic, Kevin McCallister after McCallister is left behind by his forever neglectful parents.

Now, if I was back in college, we would always go over our highs and lows in my Student Government committee meetings. As the aforementioned were clearly my lows, it is not to say I did not have highs. It is just harder to acknowledge what you do like about a movie when it doesn’t live up to a certain level of hype. Hype, I think, is maybe the most damaging factor to the legacy of a movie. Some movie’s clearly meet and exceed the hype (see previous post on Titanic). Others will buckle under the pressure of awards and lists. Many will turn off a movie or walk out of a theater, but like my sister (for more on her, again I say, see my previous post on Titanic) loves to point out, despite my inability to finish a book I don’t like, I will almost never end a movie I hate (such as Spanglish or even better, Gambit).

"Hey, Ray, I never went down, man! You never got me down, Ray! You hear me, you never got me down."

- Jake La Motta, Raging Bull

For a movie such as this, to be named the fourth greatest American film ever in existence, the hype was boiling over. While it did not land for me as it did for others, my vast knowledge of high- and low-brow cinema will allow me to acknowledge some choices I found admirable. First of all, I know I have largely criticized the main character, but it did the experience of others justice by not making him a more likable figure. There are also the more obvious color and style choices made, such as the classic credits. Most apparent of them, this film is in black and white. If Wikipedia and random articles I came across are to be believed, this was done to make the intense bloodshed of boxing matches more digestible and to obscure some historical inaccuracies, such as discolored boxing gloves. Yet, moments such as pool days, weddings and other happy memories appear in color.

If I was attempting at being poetic, I would discuss if the color showed the vibrancy of his life in these moments.

"I got these small hands. I got a little girl's hands."

- Jake La Motta, Raging Bull

As an attempt at life redemption following an overdose, this movie put Scorsese back on the map. While I don’t think it is worth the same as others, we are certainly better for having received some of his later films enabled after this one was made and for the work Scorsese has done in film restoration and preservation.

Did I like the movie? Another viewing would be needed for such a determination. I find myself wishing I knew what onomatopoeia would best serve the sound generated by a shrug. Does it deserve the fourth spot? Doubtful. Is Moriarty reminiscent of Faye Dunaway? I certainly think so, hopefully you also see it.