DeNiro was as good as I have ever seen him. This man earned his Oscar. And so, the question bouncing around in my head, a question I cannot believe I'm asking myself, is - is Raging Bull a better movie than Rocky? It's fucking Rocky! Nothing is better than Rocky! And yet, it might be. Let's think about this for a minute. I'm not going to break the films down element by element for two reasons - 1.) that would take a really long time; and 2.) they aren't very comparable. One is based on the life of a real boxer, the other is something Sylvester Stallone wrote in two weeks about a fictional boxer who gets the oppurtunity of a lifetime.
So, what this really comes down to is, was DeNiro's performance better than Rocky's story? Man, that is tough call. Let's start with Bobby D. - in the beginning of the film, and for the majority of it, he's jacked, something I totally didn't see coming. But he looked like a boxer. He was actually pretty similar to Stallone in Rocky (as opposed to Stallone in Rocky IV - 'roids anyone?). Very convincing. Then, towards the end of the film, as he is playing an older La Motta, he must have gained like 50 lbs. Now that is dedication to a part. And, throughout the entire movie, his acting is, well, DeNiroesque. He's great. Absolutely great. He was Jake La Motta. Also, gotta give Joe Pesci his props as well for basically playing the same role he played in Goodfellas, only it was 10 years earlier and this character was far less homicidal. He was very good as DeNiro's brother/manager.
So the question is, was DeNiro's performance - with a supporting cast ranging from exceedingly competent to exceedingly talented - good enough to topple Rocky's story? In short - no. As good as Raging Bull was, it just wasn't Rocky. It didn't give me the chills like Rocky never fails to do. It wouldn't have had me cheering in the theater. And it didn't have Burt Young.
No, as fanfuckingtastic as Raging Bull is, it isn't Rocky. And nothing ever will be.
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