They both succeed splendidly well at what they are trying to do, and that's all I have to say about their so-called connection. The only connecting thread is the apparently central theme of boxing, which is used as a theme in "Rocky," and a backdrop in "Raging Bull." They're entirely different motion pictures - one uplifting, the other somewhat depressing - and the people who try to decide which is better need to seriously re-evaluate their reasons for doing so. But whereas "Raging Bull" is raw, "Rocky" is inspiring, and that is one of the reasons I do not think these two very different motion pictures deserve comparison, for the simple fact that they are entirely separate from one another. As much as I absolutely adore "Rocky," "Raging Bull" is a deeper, more realistic film. The film is most often compared to "Rocky," more than any other, apparently because they both concern a certain level of boxing.
The tension is raw, the dialogue amazing, and the overall intensity electrifying. The greatest scene in the film is when LaMotta accuses his brother of having an affair with his wife. His physical transformation is on-par with any great screen makeover, especially the most recent, ranging from Willem Dafoe in "Shadow of the Vampire" to Charlize Theron in "Monster." In addition, co-star Joe Pesci also lost weight for his role of Joey, LaMotta's short, eccentric brother. De Niro gained 60 pounds to play LaMotta, which was an all-time record at the time (later beaten by Vincent D'Onofrio, who gained 70 pounds for Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket"). But to say it is one of the most powerful films of all time would be no gross overstatement - it is superb film-making at its finest. To be honest, I'm not so sure about that, since various genres offer different feelings and emotions (comparing this to a comedy might seem rather silly). "Raging Bull" has often been regarded as the greatest film of the 80s. Schrader, who had previously written "Taxi Driver" (1976), agreed, and wrote the screenplay for them. It was after De Niro read boxer Jake LaMotta's memoirs that he knew he wanted to make the film, so Scorsese and De Niro turned to Paul Schrader for a script. It dwindled in production hell for quite some time, with Scorsese's drug use halting production and only the duo's strong willpower that kept the project moving ahead. It came out in 1980, earned Robert De Niro a Best Actor Academy Award, and was marked down as another solid triumph by director Martin Scorsese, whose previous 1976 outing with De Niro earned them both critical acclaim (and for De Niro, an Oscar nomination, although he would actually earn an Oscar for "Raging Bull" four years later). Like most great movies, its focus is much deeper. "Raging Bull" isn't the average, stereotypical underdog boxing movie, because it isn't really about boxing at all.
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