Raging Bull
Movie, 1980, The '80s, Set in Boxing
Raging Bull is #2 of 35 in release order and #2 of 35 in chronological order in the Sports Movies.
The story
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
Raging Bull recap
Raging Bull (1980) follows Jake LaMotta, a Bronx middleweight boxer whose jealousy and temper wreck his marriage, his brother and his career. Martin Scorsese directs the boxing drama in black and white, adapting the real LaMotta's 1970 memoir with Robert De Niro in the lead. In 1941 Jake loses a disputed decision, and his brother and manager Joey LaMotta (Joe Pesci) pushes him to accept help from the local mob, which Jake refuses. Still married, he pursues Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), a 15-year-old he spots at the neighbourhood pool, and later makes her his wife. Jake beats Sugar Ray Robinson in 1943, loses the rematch, and grows convinced that Vickie wants other men, savaging an opponent she once called good-looking. To earn a title shot from mob boss Tommy Como, he throws a fight against Billy Fox, is suspended, then takes the middleweight crown from Marcel Cerdan in 1949. In release order the film comes after Rocky and before Chariots of Fire.
Raging Bull ending explained
Raging Bull ends with an older, heavier Jake in a 1964 dressing room, rehearsing a stand-up act in the mirror. Before that, his paranoia drives him to beat Joey and knock Vickie out, he loses his title to Robinson in 1951, and Vickie leaves him in Miami with the children. Jailed for letting underage girls into his nightclub, he punches the walls of his cell. Back in New York he hugs Joey, who barely hugs back. The last scene has him reciting the "I coulda been a contender" speech from On the Waterfront, followed by a Bible verse and a dedication to Scorsese's teacher Haig Manoogian.
Post-credits scenes
No. Raging Bull has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Raging Bull
Raging Bull is streaming on Prime Video, Hoopla, MGM Plus, YouTube (free), Fawesome, and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 92%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Rocky, before Chariots of Fire.
- Chronological order: after Rocky, before Chariots of Fire.
Cast
- Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta
- Cathy Moriarty as Vickie LaMotta
- Joe Pesci as Joey LaMotta
- Frank Vincent as Salvy Batts
- Nicholas Colasanto as Tommy Como
- Theresa Saldana as Lenore
- Mario Gallo as Mario
- Frank Adonis as Patsy
- Joseph Bono as Guido
- Frank Topham as Toppy
- Lori Anne Flax as Irma
- Charles Scorsese as Charlie - Man with Como
Directed by Martin Scorsese.