His marriage begins to slowly deteriorate as a result of domestic abuse. A year later, he receives his title shot and wins by unanimous decision. The fight is a farce and the New York Athletic commission suspend Jake. He throws the fight, which ends up incredibly obvious as Jake simply doesn’t fight back because of his pride. His wife Vickie and her old mob connections become utilized as they offer to give Jake the title fight he’s been wanting if he’s willing to throw a fight first. He has a series of 5 matches against Sugar Ray Robinson, of which he won one, and lost 2 to controversial and very split-decisions most of which were booed avidly by the crowd. He and his first wife constantly shout at and berate each other in constant domestic strife as Jake trades his wife in for a newer model, Vickie Thailer (Cathy Moriarty) a young 15 year old girl who he spots at the local pool, who he soon weds. It depicts as a boxer, and how his style reflects his aggressive and unsettled mood outside of the ring.
Unlike some boxing dramas, we see an immediate focus on drama. The story focuses on Jake’ Lamotte’s (Robert Deniro) career as a boxer and his rise up the local talent along side his brother Joey Lamotte (Joe Pesci) who takes care of managerial duties. Is it a fair price to pay to leave your stamp on sporting history? your body? life-span? sometimes your family? Raging Bull is without a doubt the best cinematic depiction of Boxing, purely because it captures the rage and aggression in the ring, and most importantly the incredible pride before a sensational fall from grace. We see athletes risen as gods in their brief time in the limelight, but rarely is there a soothing catharsis. Boxing really is a tragic sport, particularly when it’s adapted to the frame of dramatic cinema.
The title refers to Jake Lamotta’s eponymous ring name ‘The Raging Bull’ known for his unrelenting and savage style of boxing. Martin Scorsese’s boxing drama Raging Bull (1980) captures the life of boxer Jake Lamotta adapted from his memoirs of the same name. It rages out of instinct and fear, to no real goal or end because pure aggression is not something easily channeled.
The Bull is a creature often associated with virility, aggression, and power.
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