Ragging Bull (1980)

Ragging Bull is an Autobiographical drama about the life of " Jake LaMotta" a middleweight boxing champion in the 1940-1950. It is considered one of the greatest films ever made by Martin Scorsese in his career. It is not a film about boxing or how Lamotta becomes successful. Its is the life events of a sexually insecure & a jealous boxer Jake Lamotta.

Cast: Robert Deniro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty  

Plot & Summary:

The film begins with Jake Lamotta (Played by Robert Deniro) practicing his lines for a Stage show, the year is 1957 and the flashback begins. The year is 1941 and Lamotta is in his early stages of his boxing career, The first fight is Lamotta vs Reevs where Lamotta looses his the match even though he and his team thinks he had beaten him, The next day he fights with his wife for no reason and beats her up. His brother Joey (played by Joe Pesci) tries to calm him down and tells him there will be more fights. A fight gets started in the crowd and people though chairs into the stage and the judges get beaten up. A typical seen in the 1940s boxing match is portrayed.

Then as time progresses he fights the famous " Sugar ray Robinson" and wins. Eventhough he is married he sees " Vikie" a neighborhood girl and tries to speak to her. his brother gives an introduction and they go out several times. Vickie( Played by Cathy Moriarty) is one of the most important characters of the film, She plays a 15 year old blonde in the film, she is a confident and popular. Despite her young age she goes out with many mobsters. 

Jake then wins match after match and he becomes closer and closer to Vikie. They get married and have a kid. Jake gets the title of Middle weight champion  after defeating " Sugar Ray".  Jake's sexual insecurity is beautifully explained in the film. He keeps a constant watch on Vikie and has a disturbing feeling that he is cheating on her. Even though there is no as such proof of it in the film. There is a scene in the film where Joey suggests to fight :"Jarimo" an upcoming fighter, Vikie supports joey and tells that he has a beautiful face. Now after Jake hears this, the only thing he wants to do is to breaks this kids face, During the fight, Jake breaks his nose and his face. After knocking him down he doesn't see his face but his wife's reaction. People in the crowd yell " He ain't pretty no more"

Its 1951 and Jake is defending his title of Middle weight champion. Years have passed and Jake has put on a lot of weight. He becomes more insecure and constantly watches his wife and suspects her. there is s scene in the film where there is fbig fight between Jake and Vikie where he breaks the bathroom door and tries to question her if she had slept with is brother Joey. Jake then goes to Joey's place and  drags him while he is eating dinner. Both of them never speak again on the film. 

Its 1957 Jake has finally given up after loosing several matches and loosing the title to Sugar ray. He has put on a lot of weight and begins to tell jokes at his own bar. He gets caught by the police against a complaint of a minor in his bar. All things goes wrong in his life as he looses money in the case and his wife and children leave him. The flashbacks ends with Jake practicing some lines from " on the Waterfront ". He meets Joey in the sidewalk and hugs and cries to him asking for forgiveness.

About the Films making: 

Even though the film came in 1980, The boxing sequences are shot with many special effects. it took nearly 12 weeks to shoot the boxing sequences with consultancy from Jake Lamotta. Martin Scorsese uses many slow motion shots especially to capture scenes with Vikie and Jake,

Verdict: 

A Classic from  Martin Scorsese. its not a film  about boxing not like Rocky series, The  Fighter or the warrior. It is a very unique film about how a man is blinded by rage his entire life and ends us loosing his career and his family because of it. This film is one of the milestone films in Rober Deniro's career and one of the early films in the Scorsese- Deniro combo. The film got nominated to 8 Oscars and won Two( Best Actor- Robert Deniro & Best Editing).

I couldn't understand the film at first when i saw it,I thought it was merely a life histroy of a boxer. 

Only after I read Robert Erbert review i could understand what the director was trying to tell.

Some of the lines from his blog - In many scenes in the match Jake would take punches and stay on the rope without hitting back, It is as if he considers the ring as a place of penance, a place where he could redeem himself for all hi wrongdoings,