Film Review: RAGING BULL (1980)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Running time: 129 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Biography/Sport
UK Release date: 10th April 1981

Watched on DVD Sunday 20th March 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have to admit first of all that I’m not a great fan of boxing, but I know who Jake La Motta was and I’m aware of what he achieved. This biopic tells of his rise to fame, but it also tells of his life out of the ring, about his brother, his wife and how he eventually fell from grace, only to get up again. But more of that later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please take fifteen rounds with Sugar Ray while I write the next paragraph).

As we begin, Jake La Motta is already a well known boxer, he is married to his first wife with whom he constantly argues. He is managed by his brother Joey who does his best to get him fights in the hope he’ll get a shot at the title. It seems a long time coming but Jake has other things on his mind at the moment. He as seen a girl, Vickie, who has taken his eye. She is blonde and very popular with everyone, including the rich Salvy, another local guy from the Bronx. But Jake is determined and eventually makes her his. They eventually marry, but Jake is always wary of other men, including his brother, around his wife. This streak of jealousy will eventually cost him dearly. Inside the ring, he has no such problems, beating all comers, and beating them so well that nobody wants to fight him. Eventually his chance comes, but there’s a catch... And there, I’ll have to leave it as the spoiler police would lock me up if I said any more.

Shot almost entirely in black and white, this film has the look and feel of one made back in the 1940’s to 1950’s. This works very well to give the atmosphere of the period in which it is set. A nice, mostly unobtrusive, score also works very well to set the tone of the movie. I thought Robert De Niro was tremendous as Jake La Motta, he gave his all for this part, even putting on a lot of weight for the latter scenes where La Motta becomes a stand-up comedian. Joe Pesci was also excellent as his brother Joey and Cathy Moriarty was good too as the sultry Vickie.

This film is seen by many as a modern classic, and I can see why, it is very good I can’t deny Scosese’s skill. I think the main problem I found with it was that I didn’t find it particularly entertaining. It’s very melodramatic in places, but it didn’t grip me in the way I expected… or maybe I’m being too harsh. De Niro is truly excellent too, but a great performance doesn’t always make for a great film I’m afraid. If you haven’t seen it before then I can definitely recommend it to you for at least one viewing, if just for De Niro. I’ll maybe watch it again in a few years and rave about it, but for now, it’s very very good… but not great.

My score: 8.4/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raging_bull/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3633616921/

Film Review: MY COUSIN VINNY (1992)

Director: Jonathan Lynn
Running time: 115 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 17th July 1992

Watched on Sky+ Monday 17th January 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

There are very few comedies I find funny, if you read enough of my reviews you’ll eventually find out which ones I like. This is very much one of them! For me is has everything, great acting, an excellent script and, most importantly, it’s funny. But more of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters please consider yourselves in contempt while I write the next paragraph).

Two college students, Bill Gambini and Stan Rothenstein, from Brooklyn are on their way to LA via the South when they stop off in a small town in Alabama. They are mistakenly identified as the murderers of a clerk in a small store they had visited. Unable to afford a lawyer, they turn to Bill’s cousin, Vinny Gambini, who has only been practicing law for six weeks. Vinny has brought his fiancée, Mona Lisa Vito, with him but he is determined to win the case on his own. Judge Chamberlain Haller is suspicious of Vinny’s credentials but allows him to defend the two boys. Vinny immediately falls fowl of the accepted procedure in court and finds himself in contempt (more than once). The prosecution seem to have a strong case but Vinny is determined to find as many holes in it as he can. Will Vinny prove the boys innocence? Will the judge discover he is only a novice? Will Vinny ever get a decent night's sleep? All these questions and many more will be answered… but not here.

First of all, hats off to Jonathan Lynn, I love the way he just lets the story unfold and the way he allows the characters to develop. Yes, there are one or two clunky bits, but for the most part I also very much liked the dialogue. Finally, great casting, I couldn’t imagine anyone else apart from Joe Pesci playing the part of Vinny. Also, I thought Marisa Tomei was excellent as Mona Lisa Vito, a role for which she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, and it was great to see Fred Gwynne (yes Herman Munster) as Judge Chamberlain Haller. Honourable mentions should also go to; Ralph Macchio as Bill, Mitchell Whitfield as Stan and Lane Smith as Jim Trotter III, the prosecutor.

I may be biased, but I saw this film many years ago and fell in love with it then. It’s one of those I always get great pleasure from watching. If anything, it is a little long, but I can forgive that, I think when you’re invested in the story the time factor becomes less important. Over all, a very well scripted film with some really great comic performances and one which I highly recommend.

My score: 8.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0104952/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi2744844569/