Raging Bull and Reservoir Dogs: comparative analysis

Raging Bull & Dogs

Doubtlessly, specifically what designates films as entertaining or not depends largely upon what the audience desires to see. The value system of both society and the individual can be reflected in what they find enjoyable. It has been argued, "The viewer's experience is predicated on the pleasure of seeing the male 'exist' (that is walk, move, ride fight)... And on the unquiet pleasure of seeing the male mutilated... And restored through violent brutality." (Neale 13). This concept can be applied to any number of films portraying the theoretical "male" sphere of influence in the world. Two such films, Reservoir Dogs and Raging Bull, have come to be considered modern film classics. So, it is only natural to wonder why these films are so appealing to the audience.

To begin with, each of these films obviously displays substantial levels of violence. Reservoir Dogs, for instance, depicts a man dying from a gun shot to the chest for the entirety of the forward section of the plot. This does not, importantly, detract from his ability to be the central protagonist of the story; in fact, his slow death could be argued to contribute to his appeal as a character. But before investigating this notion, it should be considered particularly what it is that the "male" does, and how violence plays into this persona.

The traditional role of the male is well-known: he is the "breadwinner." Prior to the establishment of society the male was the hunter and defender. Obviously, both of these facets of the ancient man's life imply violence. Generally speaking, societies tend to adhere to this standard of the male position in the world, and accordingly, it is desirable to see a man exhibit these characteristics. The violence in the ancient man's life was not for the purpose of violence itself, but rather, for food or to save what or who was important to him. Similarly, the pleasure taken from violence in the cinema is usually associated with larger principles that the male character holds: the male does not kill for the sake of killing or suffer for the sake of suffering, but instead, he acts in an attempt to reach something that he sees as larger than himself; as more important than his physical body.

Raging Bull is a fantastic example of this notion. Jake La Motta is bloodied and beaten repeatedly in the film, but he does not allow himself to fall. "You never got me down, Ray," is all that he says after, arguably, the most violent sports scene in film history (Raging Bull 1980). La Motta is driven by the desire to be a great boxer -- to be the champion -- and it is pleasurable to watch his will overpower physical pain in vain attempts to realize this goal. His toughness, not necessarily his boxing skill, is what makes him an appealing character; and seeing him bloodied supplies the audience's subconscious desire to see the male suffer for an idea.