Overview
A champion boxer battles his inner demons as fiercely as his opponents in the ring.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- visceral
- oppressive
- serious film night
- boxing movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Scorsese's formally searing boxing biography and Robert De Niro's performance as masterpieces, despite the film's deliberately painful portrait of an unsympathetic hero.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Scorsese frames Jake LaMotta's jealousy, rage, and public violence through stylized, emotionally overripe spectacle.
Jake's boxing aggression and paranoia fuel his success while damaging Vickie, Joey, and his wider personal life.
The ring externalizes Jake's rage, suspicion, dominance, and eventual isolation.
The boxing bouts use smoke, contrast, slow motion, and surreal spatial emphasis to render Jake's subjective violence.
Films like Raging Bull, and why
Mean Streets
shared biographical crime-drama intensity, Italian American milieu, corrosive masculinity, and director-actor collaboration
Taxi Driver
shared psychological self-destruction, volatile male protagonist, urban alienation, and scorsese-schrader intensity
The Fighter
shared boxing-centered drama, physical brutality, personal sacrifice, and tragic athlete portrait
The Aviator
shared rise-and-fall biography, period atmosphere, jealousy, and destructive ambition
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 1980-11-14
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (4908)
Cast
- Robert De Niro
- Cathy Moriarty
- Joe Pesci
- Frank Vincent
- Nicholas Colasanto
- Theresa Saldana
- Mario Gallo
- Frank Adonis
- Joseph Bono
- Frank Topham
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Raging Bull about?
- A fiercely stylized portrait of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose ring-honed rage turns championship ambition into domestic devastation and solitude.
- What is Raging Bull like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Raging Bull as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Raging Bull violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Raging Bull as graphic.
- What did critics think of Raging Bull?
- Critics broadly regard Scorsese's formally searing boxing biography and Robert De Niro's performance as masterpieces, despite the film's deliberately painful portrait of an unsympathetic hero.
- Which films are like Raging Bull?
- Films with a similar feel include Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The Fighter, and The Aviator.
- How long is Raging Bull?
- Raging Bull runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch Raging Bull?
- In United States, Raging Bull streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
