Martin Scorsese rightfully gets credit for this masterpiece but Thelma Schoonmaker deserves a lot of praise as well. "Raging Bull" was the first major film she edited and won an Academy Award for her achievement. Schoonmaker is a GOAT editor and is still Scorsese's secret weapon. They have one of the longest working relationships in Hollywood history.

When Jake asked his wife after watching the movie “Is that the way I was in real life?”. She replied “You were worse”.

The "I could've been a contender" scene at the end is in reference to Marlon Brando's performance in On the Waterfront, another classic movie worth a reaction. It's terrific!

The mirror scene was actually dialogue from Marlon Brando’s breakout movie “On The Waterfront”. Definitely worth the watch! 💯🔥🤙🏽😎

LaMotta was doing a scene by Marlon Brandon from “On the Waterfront” at the end, which would also be a great classic film to watch. Frank Sinatra was sitting at a table in PJ Clarke’s Saloon in New York one night with a couple of old time Sportswriters and they voted Jake LaMotta the worst human being who had ever lived.

Fights were filmed with different sized rings, with flames in front of the camera, etc. depending on the intended mood and place in the story. There’s an invaluable commentary by Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker on certain home releases.

Paul Thomas Anderson paid homage to the mirror scene at the ending of "boogie nights"

De Niro won an Oscar for his performance in the film. And at the time of release put on a record amount of weight for the later scenes in the film in Miami. Going from 145 to 215 lbs!

Going with the similarities to Paul Thomas Anderson's work, I'm sure someone commented on this before but the last scene of Boogie Nights is a direct homage to the last scene in this.

Another powerful film by Scorsese that’s more of a contemplation on misplaced rage, self-loathing, and “toxic masculinity” (even before that phrase came be) than it is about boxing. Jake’s jealousy and rage/violence is what made him a successful boxer but it’s what also destroyed his personal life and relationships. Scorsese actually made this movie when he was going through a rough time in his life (substance abuse and failed relationships I believe) so the movie is complemented by being viewed through the background of the filmmaker (De Niro brought the script to Scorsese to get him out of his funk more or less). As alway love your insight into the filmmaking and look forward to the next one James.

This was Pesci's breakout role. A decade later he and DeNiro teamed up with Scorcese to make Goodfellas.

Yes, she was 15, and Jake LaMotta was 8 years older.

In 1980, Director Brian De Palma was giving his last touches to his new movie titled "Blow out". He was very optimistic about the way the came out and he kept saying to the closest of him that "I think this is my best work, I will sweep everyone". The very night when he completed the work on his movie, he decided to go out and watch the movie "Raging Bull" of Martin Scorsese. He sat in the cinema with his friends at the top of optimism. The movie started with the opening scene of Robert De Niro Sways inside the boxing ring accompanied by Pietro Mascagni's classic symphony. At that moment the face of De Palma changed. Then he turned to his friend and said "Damn it!!! No matter how good you think you are, there's always a damn Scorsese to ruin it". "No matter how good you think you are, there is always fucking Scorsese".

The mirror scene has Jake quoting Marlon Brando's character in the film On The Waterfront.

"I could have been a contender." Quote from "On The Waterfront" (1954) He was trying to act out a movie scene.

This is such a great film. One of De Niro’s best performances and Scorsese’s best films. De Niro deserved the Academy Award for this and Scorsese should have won Best Director for this as well as the film should have won Best Picture. Rocky came out first in 1976, Raging Bull came out in 1980, but both are considered to be two of the best boxing films and sports films of all time. It’s awesome to see you watch this James, keep up the great work man. Take care!

Surprising to see that this is your first time watching this movie. Every film buff and filmmaker has this on their list.

Bro I think everyone would love a “the sopranos” reaction amazing acting, mob themes, and great characters

Another great choice James I recommend you to watch After Hours (1985) and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) They have amazing storytelling and would like to hear your opinion on them

Jake Lamotta was an advisor on this movie, he use to say he was 10 x worst than they portrayed in the movie.

That monologue about "Coulda' been a contender" to the mirror, it's from "On The Waterfront". It's a famous bit of dialogue spoken by Marlon Brando in the movie.

Surprised you hadn't seen it before, probably De Niro's most highly regarded performance. It's not really comparable to Rocky, as it's a completely different type of film.

That home video montage to show as time goes by reminds me of the Paris Texas when the dad watches the family video.

Not one punch was blocked in this movie lmfao! Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Have a great day!

From the book written by Vikki LaMotta, "Years later, people told me that, from the time I was fourteen till the time I was thirty, I looked twenty." Yes, she was 15 when she first met Jake...married him at 16.

Raging Bull is an excellent movie that I don't foresee myself returning to regularly simply because of how "ugly" it is, but it's also that very ugliness that makes Jake La Motta's character study so fascinating and gripping even if it is hard to watch sometimes. The opening shot is especially amazing because it says everything you need to know about the story. Nobody else is in the ring. He's just furiously punching the air because all of his problems and fights he picks outside of the ring are nothing but a manufactured illueion from his own inner demons that he just can't shake (and doesn't even really try). He creates most of his own problems because he just can't overcome his own temper, insecurity, pride, and jealousy. I imagine a big reason why Scrosese didn't want to make Raging Bull was because of Rocky existing, but you almost can't help but compare and contrast the respective main characters, Jake La Motta and Rocky Balboa. They come from very similar backgrounds, but their outlook on life, how they relate to others, and their core values are so fundamentally different and lead to such radically different outcomes. One could have very well become more like the other had they both made different life choices. As cliche as it might be, in a lot of ways, Raging Bull is very much the anti-Rocky, and I appreciate that both are so widely recognized. Don't be a Jake. Be a Rocky.

Some of the best insults in movie history are in this film

Give props for him to put that weight on and take it off back then. He's one of the goats.

It's not really a boxing movie, but a movie about a boxer.

DeNiro and Pesci need to do a remake of Grumpy Old Men

When Jake says he could of been a contender he was quoting Marlon Brando in "on the waterfront"

Yeah, the film compresses time a bit. Vicki was a hair older (although still under age) but Jake LaMotta was a lot younger than Robert DeNiro (at that time). But yeah, he was married at the time…

The first half of PTA's carrer you can see very clear his influence on Scorsese style, Boogie Nights for example it could be pretty much a Scorsese directed movie, the editing, the shots, the music, and that ending especifically is exactly like Raging Bull's ending, after Punch Drunk Love is were i think PTA became PTA, and becomes a better filmmaker for me, with his own voice

Saw this in 4k in cinema recently, second time I’d seen the film. A true great

Paul Schrader, writer on this movie and on Taxi Driver, went on to direct a movie of his own, very recommended: "Affliction", with Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe amd James Coburn, all in a state of grace.

Jake LaMotta was known to have one of the best chins in boxing history. He could take a LOT of hits.

You have to see On The Waterfront with Marlon Brando that’s what he’s referencing at the end and I think that movie was inspiration for Martin Scorsese too.

Scorsese calls for some film history. Some of the earliest talkies were boxing films and dozens of boxing films were made over the decades, including some stand out films -- The Champ (1931) King Vidor, Director; Kid Galahad (1937) Michael Curtiz, Director; Body and Soul (1947) Robert Rossen, Director; The Set-Up (1949) Robert Wise, Director; On the Waterfront (1954) Elia Kazan, Director; The Harder They Fall (1956) Mark Robson, Director; Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) Ralph Nelson, Director; The Great White Hope (1970) Martin Ritt, Director; ...

The line about how he 'could have been a contender' is a quote from another legendary boxing film, I wont say which, you may run into it.

One of the greatest movies ever made and some of the best cinematography ever. A masterpiece that still stands strong

Scorsese is an absolute legend... the characters, stories, and places he goes to.... are so submersive and authentic. He blurs protagonists and antagonists so perfectly, you don't know if you love or hate the character.

The performance by De Niro, in my mind, is the best performance of anyone ever in a sports related movie.

When the real Jake was watching this movie in theaters with his ex-wife, he asked her "Was I really this bad?" to which she replied "You were worse"

Jake LaMotta was my friend John’s Grandfather. We grew up in Yonkers New York! Great Flick! 🥊💪😎

Rocky has this movie beat by about 4 years. Also this is the first film that was inducted in the national film registry in its first year of eligibility.

Superb life study of a figher who was at the top of the tree in his era. Beautiful movie. Great acting and direction.

Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake La Motta rivalry was one of the greatest in boxing history. They fought 6 times, and even though every fight was close, Sugar Ray won 5 of the 6 matches; even though Jake knocked down Sugar multiple times and Sugar could never put Jake on the canvas. One fight that he won against Jake (in a controversial decision), Sugar called it the toughest fight of his career. Not counting the fight that he threw, and despite all of the punishment he received, LaMotta only hit the canvas once in his long career. To say the least, one of the toughest chins in boxing history.

He fought Sugar Ray 6 times. Yes, 6 times! Had over a 100 fights and never knocked down. LaMotta was an animal.

Yea, this is more of a director's movie than a screenwriting one.

There is a scene from 'The Godfather' with Vito Corleone at the fruit stall standing next to a Jake LaMotta poster. Robert De Niro would later go on to play both these roles. De Niro has won two Oscars for acting in 1980's “Raging Bull” and 1974's “The Godfather Part II”. Pacino won one acting Oscar for 1992's . Peace out.

Surely my favorite Scorsese, and maybe my favorite American film too. God it hits so hard.

Raging Bull is one of my favorite movies of all time I've seen this movie about a dozen times and I don't get tired of watching it besides the cinematography which is breathtaking the dialogue was so realistic you think you're watching a documentary honestly should be on the Mount Rushmore of greatest movies of all time Scorsese somehow manages to get you the audience member to emphasise with a character who's pretty despicable but he humanises him

I find this film hard to watch and it's not the boxing scenes that make me feel afraid or uncomfortable.

its awesome you mention pt Anderson because the ending of boogie nights was a direct homage to raging bulls ending.. same framing.. "I'm the boss I'm the boss" "I'm a star I'm a star" .....both in a backstage make up room about to "go on'

A bizarre convergence of two DeNiro films came around the time he won the Oscar for this performance. The day before his win, President Reagan had been shot by a guy who was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster, who had been in DeNiro's film, "Taxi Driver." When DeNiro briefly talked with the media after his win, he got a barrage of questions about the Taxi Driver connection and barely any about this film.

If you're into 40 year old movies, check out VICTORY. Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Pele. It's ostensibly about European soccer during World War Two but, don't let that dissuade you. It's a pretty goddamned great film.

The scene where he’s beating himself up in jail is one of the most brilliant things I’ve ever seen in a film

Each fight scene is a mini masterpiece inside of a big masterpiece

Scorsese took a big risk filming a black and white movie in 1980 and it looks beautiful! DeNiro got a best actor Oscar from this film.

17:30 this is indeed one of my most favourite scenes in the movie and maybe in every movie. When he and his team are entering the arena, the crowd, the whole 1940s style and especially the music. Absolutely amazing scene!

1st time watching u seem like a deep film maker/person enjoyed

So happy you've reacted to this. Your the one guy I really wanted to see this movie. It's devastating. This for me is far and away Scorsese's best work. It's also probably DeNiro's finest performance, and worth noting that both Pesci and Frank Vincent were pretty new to movies at this point, hard as that might be to believe. Like you say, this has subtlety that Taxi Driver doesn't, but still doesn't flinch exposing a pretty terrible character. Oddly, LaMotta was fully onboard, which suggests that he didn't think it too unflattering! The sound design (mixing in those animal noises) is mind-blowing, the cinematography is unmatched. Gotta slightly disagree with some of your final comments though... "He could finally see who he was..." I'm not sure he could. He was clearly upset about his situation, but that monologue in the dressing room is him quoting Brando in Waterfront ("I coulda been a contender"). My take is that he identified with Brando's character but possibly didn't realise how acutely those words applied to himself. I'm not sure he ever really admitted how much of his plight was his own doing. I've never read the real LaMotta's view on this, having only seen this movie, so I could be wrong here.

i didn't see this til it was released on bluray, but i remember feeling like i was in for a magical movie right from that opening

One of the most masterfully directed and acted films of all time. DeNiro BECOMES Jake.

Scorcese said he shot the film in black and white because around this time, he discovered that many of the early color films were starting to get faded or simply ruined because of deterioration. He's long been a promoter of preserving classic films.

The age of consent in Mexico is 15, much like a certain person from this film 😮

If you remember the last scene in Boogie Nights references the last scene in this one!

I love the scene where he channels the great Marlon Brando's Oscar winning boxing performance in ON THE WATERFRONT ("I coulda been somebody, I coulda had class!". A film, I believe, you have yet to see. Another GREAT film, winner of best film, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best director and a couple other categories. One of the most Oscar'd films of all time.

One of the greatest Performances ever! De Niro is mesmerizing in this, every scene he is in you are just captivated by what he is doing, by his gestures and his raw emotions. A lifetime performance! Literally does not feel like he was acting, he literally became the character, a method technique. Joe Pesci was also great, one of his best performances.

Thank you, James VS Cinema! You're re-introducing me to so many classic movies that I kinda/sorta forgot I adored because I was alive back then and simply dismissed them as contemporary. For instance, I was only fifteen years old (nearly ten years after it was released) when I first saw RAGING BULL because, being from the Bronx, my father thought I could and should relate. I'm almost 50 years old now and I'm pretty much convinced that life itself is probably better (all in all and with art included) nowadays, but... Sometimes the movies and music from my younger years make me wonder if basking in nostalgia isn't just powerful, but... might actually be more enjoyable than living life in real time. I dunno. It's a philosophical quandary I guess I gotta wrestle with. You will, too. Someday. Thanks to infernal technology like KZfaq. :)

Hey James hope you've been doing well, thanks for making these videos.

Haha. My buddy and I were way too young when we saw this. When DeNiro and Pesci are talking and Pesci responds "That's a sick question, you're a sick f---, and I don't gotta answer it" - we used to say that to each other all the time.

It brings me joy when someone who hasn't seen this banger of movie 😊 🍿

It was Raging Bull where I really started to appreciate proper movies, when I first saw it at fourteen.

Now watch GRUDGE MATCH. Its Stallone vs DeNiro. Yes middle aged Rocky fighting the Raging Bull.

The most horrifying scene is the massacre of that steak.

I would recommend you review "Glengarry Glen Ross."

Fantastic reaction. This performance from De Niro TOTALLY changed the game. Nobody had ever gained all that weight for a role, and it's like a line in the sand, the way Brando's performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire" back in 1952 changed the game. The ending monologue in "Raging Bull" is actually Brando's famous monologue from "On The Waterfront" (1954). De Niro got his first Oscar doing the young Brando in "The Godfather Part 2"....then he did "Taxi Driver" and "The Deer Hunter" (which you've seen)....then he did "Raging Bull" and got his second Oscar....where again he references Brando! Then he did "The King Of Comedy". THIS is why we call him the GOAT. Meryl Streep changed the game for actresses (and all actors) a couple of years later with "Sophie's Choice", a MUST-see. If you look at a list of greatest performances from an actress, I"m sure that's number one, or at least in the top five. It definitely is her most iconic, most groundbreaking performance. That and "Raging Bull" is why so many actors "stay in character" through entire shoots, or lose weight, gain weight. Following this up with "The King Of Comedy" also set a new standard for how actors picked their roles. At the time, people couldn't believe he did "The King Of Comedy" after "Raging Bull". Now, everyone does that. Sean Penn immediately started imitating that career path back in the 80s Johnny Depp. Et al. And we haven't talked about SCORSESE yet in this movie! (or his editor, Thelma Schoonmaker!). GREAT REACTION!

Cheers James! Always a treat to sit down on a Friday morning with my coffee and watch a new reaction before heading off to work. Like a lot of people I've seen this movie a bunch of times now. The performances are legendary but the thing I marvel at most is the way its shot and put together. Great filmmaking.

This was by far one of my favorite Martin Scorsese movie. Are you hyped for Scorsese next film "Killers of the Flower Moon".

you'll be telling us you've not seen Taxi Driver next! 🤣

imo this is right up there wit taxi driver for Scorsese’s best

Is everyone aware that the ex Mrs Lamotta did a playboy magazine shoot back in the 80s. An amazing woman.

My favorite boxing film ever. DeNiro was such a beast.

According to Scorsese or the editor, I forget which one, the editing style of the fight with all the quick shots and blood was inspired by the editing style of the shower scene in Psycho.

I cant wait tell they make a sugar ray Robinson bio movie! If you think la Motta had a crazy life... sugar ray killed someone in the ring and had a dream about killing his opponent the night before.

Controversially, De Niro actually made contact with most of his punches on Kathy Moriarty that left her dazed and bruised….method acting gets too good of a rep lol imo

Great reaction and commentary! Raging Bull is one of my favorite movies, as intense and uncomfortable as it is.

The cinematography in this film is amazing.

Yo! You mentioned that this film has a PTA feel to it. Did you notice the mirror talk at the end is similar to Dirk Diggler talking to himself at the end of Boogie Nights?

I don't know this with any certainty to be true, but I read the last scene of Boogie Nights as a direct play on and an homage to the last scene in Raging Bull.

You gotta react to something like Casino next. That movie is underrated in Martin Scorseses filmography, also Joe Pesci steals the entire movie so that’s a plus

This truly is a *KNOCKOUT* movie in every way possible 🥊💥

Yes!!!

Yeah she was 15

You should definitely watch Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Production on the film was done in two parts. Most of it, including all the boxing scenes, was shot first. Then production halted for several months while method actor, De Niro, gained 60 pounds, reportedly by eating Italian food. Director Martin Scorsese has said in interviews the scenes of fat Jake were shot quickly with few takes because of the physical strain on De Niro.

I love movies like this. Showing the potentially dark side of a boxer. Rocky is a decent film but this is a bit more raw

Assumed you'd seen this, looking forward to the fawning

And now I recommend the movie that (deservedly) beat out this film for best picture in 1980. ORDINARY PEOPLE.