Raging Bull

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Raging Bull

R

Released Jan 1, 1980

2h 8m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

151 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

The story of a middleweight boxer as he rises through ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown. He falls in love with a gorgeous girl from the Bronx. The inability to express his feelings enters into the ring and eventually takes over his life. He eventually is sent into a downward spiral that costs him everything.

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Critics Consensus

Arguably Martin Scorsese's and Robert De Niro's finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it's a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero.

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Dean Johnson

Orlando Sentinel

The brutality of Raging Bull is intense, a mood Scorsese maintains consistently. And, connected with that, is the director's search for, if not beauty, then poetry, within that vivid viciousness. He succeeds in that search.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 11, 2023

Full Review

Joseph Gelmis

Newsday

De Niro playing La Motta in Raging Bull is beyond mere typecasting. It is an apotheosis. With La Motta as technical adviser, De Niro, an actor with a passion for authenticity, has found the ideal outlet for his singular talent.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 11, 2023

Full Review

Desmond Ryan

Philadelphia Inquirer

Even if Scorsese and De Niro have created a movie that defies categories, the sports film will never seem quite the same, and the boxing division has a new heavyweight against which past and future efforts will be measured.

Oct 11, 2023

Full Review

John Marriott

Radio Times

Scorsese effortlessly fuses top-drawer acting, pumping narrative drive and blitzkrieg camera technique to deliver a giddy, claustrophobic classic.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 30, 2024

Full Review

Mike Thorn

Vague Visages

Martin Scorsese perfects a configuration of the biopic as self-recognized fiction.

Dec 12, 2023

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

New West/California

An intensely personal piece of work made to exacting specifications by a team of perfectionists. The result is like the man it portrays -- undeniably powerful and distinctive but not especially pleasant, an inspirer of awe but not affection.

Oct 11, 2023

Full Review

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Shawan S

Raging Bull is honestly the best sports drama I’ve ever watched. People keep saying it’s a serious drama about self-destruction and toxic masculinity, but have they actually seen Robert De Niro in this film? He’s like a living, breathing, punching bag of emotions. who wouldn’t crack up when Jake LaMotta is yelling at a steak for being “too juicy”?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

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El Queso G

This picture is not always pleasant to watch, but damn it is a masterpiece!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

Edward F

This movie was severely overrated. It was okay at best. This movie was adequate at best.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

Full Review

nick s

Cinematography and acting definitely creates a certain mood. Can't argue with the authentic feel of the movie. Sometimes I wish the sound guy got the mic a bit closer to Dinero. Although it was an admirable piece of art, I didn't really find it intellectually stimulating.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

Full Review

Russ G

Had to see it via TCM as it's been raved about since its release. I didn't find it All That and a Bag of Chips. It's bunch of unrelated clips in between some fight scenes, plus the 3rd act with a washed-up fighter. Our protagonist is a first class A-hole but watching it I wondered if that was the character or DiNiro projecting. Joe Pesci is Joe Pesci - maybe he just copied this same character for the rest of his career. I actually "watched" this in less than its running time as I edited several of the scenes that dragged. The only mystery of the filmmaking process is how they got Bobby D fat and flabby in the 3rd act. Did they shoot all that first and then whip him into shape or use a fat suit and makeup? Bottom line: I just wasn't impressed with the choppy, documentary style including the inserted color "home movies." The violence of some of the fight scenes was technically well done but the arc of LaMotta's career wasn't laid out well.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

Alex M

Being a biopic, Scorsese is limited to a narrative that doesn’t have much emotional or compelling arcs. And the protagonist himself is an uncompelling character, lacking depth: the film is wholly uninterested in delving into WHY LaMotta is the way he is. It’s a shallow characterization.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

Full Review

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Martin Scorsese

Director

Robert De Niro

Jake La Motta

Cathy Moriarty

Vickie La Motta

Joe Pesci

Joey La Motta

Frank Vincent

Salvy

Nicholas Colasanto

Tommy Como

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Raging Bull: Official Clip - Hit Me in the Face

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Synopsis

The story of a middleweight boxer as he rises through ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown. He falls in love with a gorgeous girl from the Bronx. The inability to express his feelings enters into the ring and eventually takes over his life. He eventually is sent into a downward spiral that costs him everything.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Producer: Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage, Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: United Artists, Chartoff-Winkler Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $87.3K
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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