WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1. It stars Robert De Niro.
2. It was directed by Martin Scorsese.
3. It's based on a true story about a self-destructive boxer.
LET ME EXPLAIN...
Considered the 4th greatest film in American history, the storyline itself was a bit peculiar. What I mean is, I expected this movie to either be centered around historically significant events or people, or to hold some sort of universal moral about life. Neither the story nor any of the characters really conveyed any of this.
Instead, I watched a movie about a boxer I had never heard of with such self-destructive tendencies that this was by no means a fun experience. It was gritty and real in such a way that I wanted this to be a purely fictional story.
However, from a film-making standpoint, "Raging Bull" is incredible. Which leads right into the next section...
What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
This is an incredibly well-made film. In fact, "Raging Bull" kept reminding me of "Citizen Kane" with its technical style. Everything about how it was put together seemed deliberate, stylish, and sharp. My wife also commented afterward that the contrast between the black and the white added a sense of glitziness, which added some appropriate contradiction to the mood of the story itself. It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, winning two (Best Actor - Robert De Niro, and Best Film Editing).
Complaints
Along with the awkward-and-seemingly-unnecessary sexual scene in the first half, I could not buy the fact that Vickie was supposed to be 15 years old at first. I don't care if the actress was only 20 years old when this was filmed. She looked and talked like she was pushing 30, and I could not get around that in any of the scenes with her as a teenager.
LET ME SUM UP...
Not a wonderful story, but technically speaking, this is an incredibly well-made biopic film. As a movie-watching experience, I'd rate this only 5/10, but I have to give it some major points for how well it was put together.
MY RATING: 8/10
TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 90
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