Raging Bull (1980)

Has this movie ever actually aired on PBS?

I’m pretty sure I saw him featured on some local US broadcast once before.

By the way, if anyone is hunting for a deal, Spotify actually has the movie available on DVD for about five bucks... though unfortunately, it’s just the film itself, so hardcore fans might feel a little let down by the lack of goodies like:

'The film that Became a Legend' beautifully illustrated 16 page booklet offering a detailed insight into the making of the film
Interactive menu and chapter search
Original Theatrical Trailer
Set of 3 collectors' postcards
Plus a second disc containing exclusively commissioned material :-
'The Bronx Bull' 26 minutes (approx) In-depth Documentary Exploring The Making of this film Jake's Jokes - a selection of jokes fra la Motta's cabaret Act plus Two hidden special features a
Jake's Jokes - a selection of jokes from La Motta's cabaret act
Plus two hidden special features

Now, if you want the real deal, special double edition celebrating the film's twentieth anniversary is what you should be looking for. 🙂

I honestly can’t recall seeing it—it really feels like it deserves a second life on Turner Classic Movies, perhaps as part of some curated retrospective focused on Robert De Niro or Martin Scorsese.

Raging Bull is easily my favorite movie of all time!
Robert De Niro delivers what I honestly believe is his greatest performance ever in this role!
While it’s technically the best boxing movie ever made, it feels less like a manual on technique or training and more like a haunting portrait of a legend's downward spiral through intense, raw character study... yet, it remains the absolute pinnacle of the genre!
A 10/10 masterpiece

A series of cult classics: Raging Bull is airing this Sunday on PBS.
If they could just put on Casino next—I haven't sat down to watch that one since back in '96.

Drew Chase5 said:A marathon of cult classics: Raging Bull is playing this Sunday on PBS.
If they could just air Casino next, I'd be set. I haven't seen that one since '96.

Thanks for sharing this 🙏 👋

Robert De Niro was absolutely incredible, honestly, he basically became Jack himself, but if you ask me, the movie as a whole is just okay—nothing special.
All those endless shouting matches and aggressive outbursts totally wiped me out more than digging a twenty-foot trench with a shovel, though I guess that’s just how it goes with all those other digital mafia flicks.

Justin Gomez6 said:Just one endless sequence of people slapping each other.

I don't know... I actually feel like the movie maintains a decent balance and doesn't overdo those scenes at all. 🤷

I don't know. The movie wasn't all that great. I watched it for the first time last night, but maybe I just had too high expectations 🤷. Jack's constant jealousy was honestly getting on my nerves. All that "you were with him, you slept with him, why are you looking at him like that" stuff... give me a break.

🤷

Daniel Booth37 said:Honestly, it might be the best performance I've ever seen in a movie. It's one of those rare moments where an actor stops acting and just becomes the character. Robert De Niro was at such a peak here that I don't think he could even replicate it himself, let alone anyone else trying to top him.

Just quoting myself here, though I guess it feels appropriate after seeing the rerun on TV.

Justin Gomez6 said:Robert De Niro gave such a top-tier performance that he basically became Jack—but if you ask me, the movie itself is just very good, nothing more.

I had pretty much the same reaction after rewatching it. Once the credits roll, there isn't a whole lot left to chew on—unlike Taxi Driver, which stays with you for a lifetime.🙂
Bik feels more like a tour de force for De Niro and Martin Scorsese; the actual plot isn't all that gripping. But because of De Niro's acting—which, honestly, is as close to perfection as any actor gets, just this incredibly powerful performance without a hint of overacting—it earns a 9/10 from me.

I feel that both the movie and Robert De Niro's performance are somewhat overrated. In my opinion, Rocky Balboa and Stallone's portrayal is significantly better. It seems like everyone assumes that once you put on thirty pounds, you've delivered an incredible performance, when really, one could just act well without needing to gain all that weight.

While Dobor did a decent job, I suppose it's still quite far from being a perfect performance, haha.

Gary Vaughn57 said:The movie is overrated, and so is De Niro's performance. Honestly, Rocky Balboa and Stallone's role was much better. Everyone thinks if you pack on 30 pounds, you've suddenly mastered acting. It’s easy to fake a performance—it's much harder to actually gain weight.

Dobor did his job, sure, but calling it perfection? Not quite, lol.

Man, I didn't even notice he gained weight in the movie...

I don't think so at all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLNft6cO0I4

If you look closely at this scene, you can clearly see he put on quite a bit of weight. I can't recall the exact number of pounds right now, but I suppose many people assume that if an actor just gains a few dozen pounds—or if they lose weight like Christian Bale—then they have automatically delivered a great performance. In my opinion, true acting transformation is something entirely different from simply gaining weight. While it is certainly a physical transformation, I would argue that the most vital part of the craft isn't captured by the scale. It feels like this aspect of acting is, goodness knows, vastly overrated.

Gary Vaughn57 said:Actually, he did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLNft6cO0I4

Look, you can see in that clip he definitely packed on the weight. I don't recall the exact number—and honestly, who does?—but people seem to think that if an actor just gains fifty pounds or drops weight like Christian Bale, they’ve automatically delivered a masterclass. Acting transformation is a completely different beast than just gaining weight. Sure, there's a physical change, but the core of the performance? That's something else entirely. This whole idea is massively overrated.

Maybe I was being a bit hyperbolic. Transformation isn't even the main point here—most of the movie isn't about some old, heavy La Mott, but rather the young, lean version. He nails it as both the impulsive, driven animal and the broken-down has-been who regrets his past but can't fight his own nature. And those ring scenes were great, not to mention that legendary scene with the punching bag.

Gary Vaughn57 said:I think the movie and De Niro's performance are overrated. Personally, I feel Rocky and Stallone's role was much better. It seems like everyone thinks if you just gain 30 pounds, you've nailed the part. In reality, you should act well first, then put on the weight.

I guess Dobor did a decent job, but it definitely wasn't perfect, lol.

🙂

Look, you orange monkeys, I might actually respect your opinion if you had pointed to a better example. You're comparing De Niro from Raging Bull to someone who holds a record four Golden Raspberries for worst actor. To me, it feels like he was at his peak lack of talent during Rocky.

If we weren't on the same side, I'd probably be throwing bananas at you right now.

orange monkeys 😁

I suppose everyone gets that one career-defining role, regardless of how mediocre they might actually be as an actor. Stallone isn't exactly a powerhouse performer, but he is absolutely brilliant in Rocky. I feel the same way about Cop Land. It just seems to me that Rocky stays with you much longer because both the character and the performance are so memorable. As for De Niro, his performance wasn't bad by any means, but after hearing all the endless hype, I was expecting something truly groundbreaking, and I just didn't find it. I mean, I saw a good De Niro and a good movie, but the whole thing felt significantly overrated to me. Maybe it’s just my perception of modern De Niro that colored my view. Looking back at his work over the last 15 years or so, I guess you realize he's always been pretty much the same. He used to hide it better, but now you can see his patterns everywhere. Once he gives that little sour smirk or those squinted eyes, I know exactly who he is. He hasn't changed. And if we're talking about being overrated, he's definitely an actor who fits that description. 🙂

I caught a screening last night, and honestly, I wasn't exactly blown away 🤷. Now, don't get me wrong—Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci were absolutely phenomenal—but the actual plot? It was just tedious. Plus, there was way too much unrealistic nonsense happening. The characters take hits to the head left and right, yet somehow nobody suffers any real consequences, almost like you're watching some cartoon 🤣.

I’m fully expecting some keyboard warriors to come at me for this one since everyone calls this a masterpiece 😁