“The Fighter” hits theaters on Dec. 17, adding another contender to the list of movies about boxing. From “Rocky” to “Million Dollar Baby,” boxing is frequently projected onto the big screen. Naturally, one should ask, “if all boxing movies were to fight each other, which would emerge as the victor?” According to critics, Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull,” soon to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, earns the championship belt. The American Film Institute considers “Raging Bull” both the greatest American sports film and the fourth greatest American film. Drawing from a wide survey of directors in 2002, the British Film Institute honors the film as the sixth best. Another 2002 survey finds that most critics deem “Raging Bull” to be the second best movie of the last 25 years. After your friends match up “The Fighter” to middleweights like “Cinderella Man,” knock them out with a comparison to a true heavyweight, “Raging Bull.”

Characters

Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro): A boxer and the protagonist of the film, Jake expresses himself physically and often lets the rules of the ring carry over into civilization. He even injects violence into his language. To discipline his children, for example, he threatens them savagely. Due to his excessive anger and jealousy, Jake often flies into frightening passions. His temper and inability to adopt normal social values lead to self-destruction. De Niro embraced method acting for the role, learning how to box and gaining 70 pounds for the scenes about LaMotta’s later life. De Niro won the Oscar for Best Actor for his expert performance.

Joey LaMotta (Joe Pesci): Joey is Jake’s younger brother and manager. When Jake succumbs to rage, Joey usually can reason with him and calm him down. Like Pesci’s character in “Goodfellas,” Joey is explosive and angry, leading the audience to deduce midway through the film that he has the same personality as Jake. Joey normally expresses himself differently simply because he lacks the build to be a purely physical being like Jake. The relationship between the two brothers is the most interesting dynamic in the film. Pesci received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for this portrayal.

Vicky LaMotta (Cathy Moriarty): When Jake meets Vicky, she is 15. Five years and Jake’s first marriage separate them, but Jake pursues her passionately. Eventually they marry, and Jake seeks to dominate her life. The boxer accuses his rivals of sleeping with her. His paranoia even leads Jake to attack his brother. After countless instances of abuse, Vicky finally leaves him.

Basic Plot

Jake LaMotta is a boxer from New York City desperate for a title shot. His best asset is his “chin,” the ability to absorb an enormous number of blows. Jake’s violent nature aids him in the ring but destroys his personal life. Though at first he idolizes his new wife, Vicky, he soon grows jealous of any man she compliments. Joey spots Vicky in a club with a mobster and assumes she is having an affair with him. Joey attacks the mobster. The mob, which heavily influences the boxing commission, demands that Jake purposely throw a match to an unskilled opponent, convincing him that the deal is his only chance at a title shot. Jake accepts and fulfills the terms of the bargain but regrets it instantly. Nonetheless, he finally wins a championship belt.

Unlike “Rocky,” the story continues past the title match, and the characters are no happier. Jake accuses Joey of sleeping with Vicky and severely beats him. When Jake realizes that he has severed his relationship with the one person who understands him, he intentionally loses to his longtime rival, Sugar Ray Robinson. He accepts blow after blow as penance for his brutal sins. Jake then retires, gains weight, moves to Florida and opens a nightclub. Vicky leaves him soon after. The police incarcerate Jake after he serves alcohol to minors. Following his release, he returns to New York and uncomfortably encounters his brother by chance. Jake then begins a career as a lousy comedian, preparing for a gig by shadowboxing and chanting “I’m the boss.”

Memorable Scenes

The opening credits depict Jake exercising in the ring before a match. Fog obscures the spectators, leaving Jake by himself. Immediately, the audience can see that boxing is a lonely and isolating sport. For this scene, Scorsese selected music from an opera, “Cavelleria Rusticana,” which is about two men who fight to the death over a woman.

After assaulting his own brother, Jake feels awful. The only way he can see to repent for his actions is to endure the same physical punishment. (Remember, physical interaction is the only way Jake has to interface with the real world.) He allows Sugar Ray Robinson to savagely beat him into a bloody mess. Jake is proud, though, that he withstood every round and wasn’t knocked out. After the bout, Scorsese pans to the ropes of the ring. They drip with blood, creating a haunting and powerful image.

Jake eventually retires to Florida and opens a nightclub. He mistakenly serves alcohol to two underage girls. The police pressure him, but Jake cannot raise enough money for a bribe, so he goes to jail. In the cell, he breaks down entirely and begins to physically punish himself. In a disturbing scene, Jake violently punches and headbutts solid concrete. Eventually he starts to weep, repeating “I’m not an animal, I’m not an animal.”

Achievements

“Raging Bull” never portrays its characters heroically or even sympathetically. Scorsese articulates every detail of Jake’s life with extreme objectivity. The film, though an artistic triumph both in front of the camera and behind it, is difficult to watch. Jake is an unpleasant man with an unpleasant story. To be honest, I admire the film, but I don’t like it. All the same, it’s an engaging experience that delivers a strong message. “Raging Bull” cautions against encouraging beastly and base tendencies, as these too easily spill into other parts of life. Invariably, no matter their short-term benefits, these traits will destroy a man and leave the carcass of an animal.