Raging Bull
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty
This is a classic film and I am very glad that I finally saw it. I never want to see it again.
It was too harsh, too depressing to be a favorite of mine. This was a hard movie to stomach, but at least the brutality was absolutely beautiful to watch.
This was the story of the rise and fall of Jake LaMotta, a middle-weight boxing champion. Something about boxing fascinates me. It seems like this should not be a sport anymore, but there is something so human about it. Guys have been beating the crap out of each other for sport since the beginning of time. There is something deeply rooted in our history and psyche that makes watching the sport captivating, yet disgusting at the same time. Fighting is such a horrible reality in our world that the idea of people doing it for sport is so intriguing. Also, it looks really cool on film.
There is nothing happy about this movie. Jake destroys his own life and it is really difficult to feel sorry for him. Maybe that was why this movie made me feel so uneasy. The way he treats everyone around him (especially his wife) makes me think that this guy deserves everything he gets. It's hard to watch a movie where you don't like the protagonist at all (something I've talked about before).
The thing that made me really enjoy watching this movie was the cinematography. The acting was remarkable (especially De Niro's transformation into a fat slob), but the way this flick was shot is eye candy. This is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. The black and white makes everything so real and gritty, yet with a classic feel. Scorsese's direction of the boxing matches was a piece of art. From the breathtaking opening credits to the touching final monologue, this movie was masterfully crafted.
But I never want to watch it again (at least in its entirety).
Lesson learned: What goes around comes around.
No comments:
Post a Comment