The Bull is here, here to slap yo’ girl if she ain’t acktin’ right! Here to question your own sanity, and make sure you’re not boinking his wife! One of the greatest portrayals of any boxer to the big screen, hell it’s the best hands down. Sure “Ali” is a great 2nd and maybe just maybe The Hurricane grabs third. Though none of them can hold the jock strap that is the “Raging Bull” Jake La Motta’s foray to blu-ray. Marty Mar at his best. Jake La Motta is a fighter who relies on his physical gifts over his mind. Over the years the beatings play a huge role in his sanity or lack there of. To go from the top, to the bottom and to do it with style. (No matter if you respect that style or not) These are reasons that make the life of Jake La Motta so entertaining.
La Motta was brutal, and this movie is great because of its pure honesty. There is no sugar coatings or exaggerated endings in this one for the sake of you going home happy. Robert De Niro’s portrayal of Jake La Motta is nothing short of legendary, his dedication to this role is something scary. Cathy Moriarty gives an great performance as Jake’s Wife, and Joe Pesci gives a strong performance in his supporting role as Jake’s brother Joey. Unlike many movies where Pesci is more bark then bite (besides say Casino) it was awesome to see Joey put the whooping on the three wanna-be wise guys in the club that night.
The fight scenes are cinematography at its best. Every scene is expertly framed in the ring with realism and sharp contrast. This is the closest you will ever get to stepping inside the ring. When you’re done watching this movie, two quotes will remain in your mind. “You never hurt me Ray, you never hurt me.” and “I never went down Ray, I never went down Ray!” Haha, classic.
Pick up the “Bull” on blu-ray, you won’t regret it. Well, unless you’re weak at the knees. 😉
The video quality on Raging Bull is probably one of the best displays of blu-ray picture quality staying true to its form. (Aside from a small thin stripe like line that appears sometimes in darker scenes, though nothing to squeal about.) All the techniques and cinematography that Martin Scorsese crafted on this picture shine through incredibly. When the picture needed to look ruff and gritty it did so with ease. When it needed a more clear picture it did so with precise clarity. So much of this video quality representation is director intended that it’s hard to count against certain moments in the film that as a reviewer you may doubt. None of which are anything that would make you not buy the blu-ray, so with that in mind just know that this transfer has been done exceptionally well.
Raging Bull punches it’s way into your home theater with it’s DTS HD Master 5.1 audio track. The sound quality on this blu-ray is absolutely phenomenal. It excels mostly in Jake Lamotta’s fight scenes where every little sound just reeks of realism, and the musical scores blended perfectly. All your speakers in your set up are going to put in work, your sub more so just in the fight scenes. That being said, it’s a more front heavy track during scenes of dialog which can be expected. A wonderful amount of scores and a tight mix make Raging Bull all the better. After all the renditions this title has received on DVD it was no surprise for them to get the blu-ray right. (even though this is the 2nd blu-ray edition, though for the reason of extra features)
Unlike the first release to blu-ray the 30th anniversary edition comes housed in a nice slip cover with loads of extras. What extras? Well, mostly just the extras from the nice dvd special edition released years ago. (and all the previous blu’s release) And the inclusion of 4 new special features exclusive to this edition. I’m glad we finally have a complete Raging Bull blu-ray edition. See you again in 5 years for the 35th anniversary edition that they push out to make more dough or a special Raging Bull Blu-ray Steelbook. :p
Three Commentaries: Director Martin Scorsese with Editor Thelma Schoonmaker, Cast and Crew, and Storytellers. – Just hearing Marty and Thelma break this movie down is your bread and butter in regards to the special features.
Four New Featurettes: Marty & Bobby; Raging Bull: Reflections on a Classic; Remembering Jake; Marty on Film. The first two were definitely my fav of the bunch though Remembering Jake brings tons of entertaining information on the legendary boxer Jake La Motta. Overall, you can’t complain about these supplements as they add fuel to the fire.
Cathy Moriarty on The Tonight Show (Johnny Carson; 1981) : Nice lil bit that lovers of this film will enjoy with good ol’ Johnny.
Raging Bull: Fight Night – 4 Part Feature Length Documentary: Great informative piece.
The Bronx Bull – Behind the Scenes Featurette
De Niro vs. La Motta: Shot by Shot Comparison in the ring: This is an awesome piece, its crazy how true to form Marty and Robert were able to emulate it. Really cool, check this out.
La Motta Defends the Title: Vintage Newsreel Footage.
From world champion to lounge bum, Jake La Motta’s rise and fall come to life in this film. It’s one of the best films of all time and on the list from ESPN as one of the best sports films of all time as well. Robert De Niro’s devotion to his role is one of true dedication that actor’s these days wouldn’t even dream about taking on. The video quality is something that Marty probably was one of few to ever experience some 30 years ago when shooting the film. Finally, a version of how this was meant to be viewed. The DTS HD Master track stomps through with great clarity and thunderous rocks of your sub to really engulf you in the fights. A plethora of extra features combined make this a true knockout of a blu-ray release. Highly recommended.
