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| 1980 |
So before we get in to today's review ill just say most of these movies I have not seen before, I have not read the synopsis, or seen the trailer. So I go in with no preconceived ideas or judgments.
Director - Martin Scorsese (The departed, Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. All in the top 100)
Writer - Jake LaMotta (Actual boxer this guy is)
Main Character - Robert De Niro (Goodfella's and the Godfather)
The Movie:
The movie starts with dramatic classical music and a boxer dancing around the ring, it is shot in black and while and the opening credits are rolling.
When the movie begins we are in 1964 New York and La Motta (De Niro) is in a tux practicing his lines in a dressing room.
The movie then goes back in time to the start of his career in the 1940's.
La Motta is an unhappy married man living in a small apartment. His brother is his boxing manager and they are currently small time. Quickly La Motta leaves his current partner for a 15 year old blonde girl. Well I assume he left her or they just forgot to write her in the script, as there was no mention of her after that one scene.
La Motta slowly starts to win fights, priding him self on not being knocked down, and having a face as hard as a rock, so his opponents punches don't phase him
As the movie progressed La Motta's character came across as a jealous small fisted arse hole of a boxer, and a man. He treats everyone around him like shit, especially his wife and he trusts no one.
The movie progresses and we see La Motta win more and more fights getting him closer to the big time, he does however have a food problem and constantly needs to crash diet. He has 1 fight before he can get to the title fight, some "mobsters" offer him a bribe to throw the match and go down in the 4th, La Motta being the prick that he is, decides he will lose in the 4th but wont go down, so he just decides to not fight back. After this blatant throwing of a match he is banned for 2 years.
We are then shown home movies and fights which take us through the years, showing La Motta have kids and get married, and his brother do exactly the same thing. The home videos are all in colour, yet the rest of the movie is totally black and white.
On his return he bizarrely has a title fight which he wins. This seems to drive him deeper into becoming an un-trusting guy even accusing his brother of sleeping with his wife. After he didnt get an answer that he wanted when he confronted his brother he beat him and his wife. For some reason his wife went back but his brother abandoned him.
La Motta wins a few more fights before losing to his nemesis Sugar Ray and decides to retire in Miami where he proceeds to get fat.
After he has retired he turns in to more of a prick and starts kissing random women at his bar ect...
Long story short, he ends up in jail for offering a 14 year old (who was in his bar pretending to be a 21 year old) to some men (he thought she was 21) going to prison, losing his wife and all his money.
The film ends as it started with him in the dressing room, practicing his lines. He has become a single lonely guy with no friends.
Conclusion:
It was exactly what I was expecting, some boxer doing well while his private life suffers. I hated him as a person so i guess De Niro did a good job in playing the part.
I wasn't a massive fan of the black and white, but it did add to the 'grittiness' of his character.
The boxing action scenes were poor, you could see blatantly they were acting as their first were going nowhere near each others fists. Some good blood squirting action out of peoples faces.
Scores:
Visual 3
Didnt like the black and white, action was unbelievable
Sound 3
Not really much in the way of music in this film, so cant really get a high score
Acting 8
Hated La Motta so well done from De Niro
Plot 5
This felt all too familiar and predictable, Rocky was a better movie
Ending 6
Glad to see he got what he deserved
Over all - 25/50
A decent watch if you have nothing better to do. I don't intend to ever watch it again, so make of that as you will.
Thanks for reading. Next up The Apartment.......
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