Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Raging Bull

Play trailer Poster for Raging Bull R Released Jan 1, 1980 2h 8m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Raging Bull

Raging Bull

What to Know

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (151) Critics Reviews
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
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 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 Fabrícia F Marcante, doloroso, comovente. Uma obra prima do cinema de ouro, a genialidade atemporal que ultrapassa gerações com performances fantásticas. Perfeito! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/31/24 Full Review Evan H Raging Bull, a staple film by Martin Scorsese that was released in 1980. The screenplay was written by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. It was produced by Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff and edited by Thelma Schoonmaker. The film features Robert De Niro as the 1940’s boxer Jake LaMotta and Joe Pesci as his brother Joey LaMotta. Raging Bull was a passion piece for Robert De Niro that Martin Scorsese was hesitant about creating. Eventually Scorsese came around and made one of the most iconic boxing films ever. If you are looking for a film with healthy characters and beautiful relationships this is not it! Domestic abuse is at an all-time high in this film and I would advise any victim of it to probably not watch the film. Raging Bull is based on the true story of the life of middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta. LaMotta, an Italian American from New York city was one of the best boxers of the 1940’s into early 1950’s. However, you quickly learn in the film that he is a violent ego maniac with an inferiority complex. De Niro plays LaMotta as a very disturbed person who is constantly on edge and ready to fight everyone. LaMotta struggles with severe anger and violence that he takes out on his loved ones, Joey LaMotta and his wife Vickie LaMotta played by Cathy Moriarty. You realize as the film goes on LaMotta suffers from an inner conflict and immense self-hatred. My favorite scene that represents this symbolism is LaMotta’s last boxing match with Sugar Ray Lewis. LaMotta allows Sugar Ray to beat him senseless in fact he embraces it and asks for it. Sugar Raw plays a metaphor for LaMotta’s demons, beating him senseless but never knocking him down. It is LaMotta’s sick way of accepting his reality but still believing he is in control. Raging Bull is a top 25 all time movie for me. Even though it is quite disturbing with lots of violence, in particular domestic violence, the movie is extremely well made. Scorsese does a superb job of capturing the essence of the film and expressing his vision of Jake LaMotta’s troubled life. The film is one of Robert De Niros best acting performances. De Niro truly went all out in Raging Bull to portray LaMotta to the best of his abilities. Raging Bull is an overall 8.2/10 for me and I highly recommend the film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Raging Bull

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Raging Bull

Raging Bull: Official Clip - Did You F*** My Brother? Raging Bull: Official Clip - Did You F*** My Brother? 2:43 Raging Bull: Official Clip - You Never Got Me Down Raging Bull: Official Clip - You Never Got Me Down 2:49 Raging Bull: Official Clip - Sugar Ray Defeats Jake Raging Bull: Official Clip - Sugar Ray Defeats Jake 2:15 Raging Bull: Official Clip - Hit Me in the Face Raging Bull: Official Clip - Hit Me in the Face 2:49 Raging Bull: Official Clip - I Could've Been a Contender Raging Bull: Official Clip - I Could've Been a Contender 2:48 Raging Bull: Official Clip - I'm Not An Animal Raging Bull: Official Clip - I'm Not An Animal 2:12 View more videos
Star 80 81% 69% Star 80 Watchlist Valentino 46% 39% Valentino Watchlist Rob Roy 73% 75% Rob Roy Watchlist Savage Messiah 55% 78% Savage Messiah Watchlist Men of Honor 42% 81% Men of Honor Watchlist TRAILER for Men of Honor Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

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)
Most Popular at Home Now