The Bronx Bull (2017)

Absolutely brilliant

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

How do you sum up a boxing legend in 94 minutes of film when the man actually survived all odds and lived to the age of 95? Simply put, you don't. This biography film shows Jake LaMotta, who won the World Middleweight Championship on June 16, 1949 in Detroit, Michigan, as a man with many regrets who felt used by so many people for his physical boxing ring prowess. William Forsythe who played Jake LaMotta mostly after he retired from the ring did more than an admirable job in his portrayal as the brawler, professional boxer, stand up comedian, and womanizer who was married seven (7) times and fathered four (4) children. What was noticeably absent from this biographical portrayal was any of Jake LaMotta's ring fights, or his pension for assaulting the women in his life. Yes, the film did reflect somewhat how jealous Jake could get, but overall this portrayal of Jake LaMotta which mainly focused on his latter years showed a man with no true friends, only people interested in capitalizing on his former fame. This biography reflected a softer side of the ring brawler Jake LaMotta.There is a great supporting cast in this film all adding value to the Jake LaMotta biography. It is well worth the watch and as such I have rated it 7 out of 10 which is slightly higher than the existing IMDB rating average

Academy Award for William Forsythe. He was believable and played the part to a T. De Nero should take some acting lessons from Forsythe., and a damn good movie. The Continuity seemed a little shaky at times, therefore I couldn't give it a 10. I learned a lot more about Jake Lammata, than I did with Raging Bull. I would Highly Recommend this movie if you are a fan of Boxing.

The Bronx Bull (2016) *** (out of 4) When this film was originally announced the producers decided to call it RAGING BULL II so that it would stir up a media storm, which it did. This also gave the film a lot of negative press from people screaming that Martin Scorsese's masterpiece didn't need a sequel. Well, THE BRONX BULL eventually got made and released and there's no doubt that one could consider it a direct sequel. The film takes place as Jake LaMotta (William Forsythe) has retired from boxing and we see his many lows that would haunt him.THE BRONX BULL very well could have been called RAGING BULL II. Is this a masterpiece like the Scorsese film? Not even close. If you go into this expecting the same type of picture then you're bound to be disappointed. I really wasn't sure what to expect from the film and at first I was a little nervous but I must admit that I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Yes, there are many flaws throughout the picture but at the same time we've got a terrific cast of characters and the film also catches us up on what happened to LaMotta after the ring (a subject just briefly touched upon in RAGING BULL).What I was most impressed with were the performances. I thought Forsythe was extremely good in the role of LaMotta and you can't help but be impressed because you really do feel as if you're watching a man who has lost his soul. I really thought the actor did a very good job at showing how hot-headed this guy was and how he could just snap in an instant. We've got a lot of famous faces in nice supporting roles including Paul Sorvino who plays LaMotta's father, Joe Mantegna as the best friend and we get the likes of Tom Sizemore, Natasha Henstridge, Penelope Ann Miller, James Russo, Bruce Davidson, Cloris Leachman, Robert Davi and Mike Starr.As I said, there are quite a few flaws including the story. The film jumps around through several decades and captures different moments in LaMotta's life after the ring but on the whole it's a bit uneven. I'd argue that the direction wasn't the greatest either but it was at least good enough to make sure everything held your attention. The film was obviously shot on a low-budget, which is clearly seen when they try to re-create some of the older times. Still, with all of that said, if you're interested in the LaMotta character then this film should keep you entertained. Just don't go in expecting something that it isn't.

The timeline is all over the place giving extremely vague details about what happened between the his boxing career. Very depressing, which is fine. Yet, with exceedingly poor attempts to be uplifting. This movie is more about making the audience pity a washed up drunk who doesn't turn his life around until his late 50's and still this film fails to tell that story. The courtroom scene leads you to believe it's a story about a boxer who got mixed up with the mafia, but then never really delves back into that plot. This is the most poorly told biography I've ever seen in film, it was trying to reach a multitude of platforms to express the life of an ex Middle Weight Champion and utterly disappoints on every one of those fronts. Spare yourself of this 94 minute waste of time, 94 minutes I wish I could have back.