Raging Bull is typically considered one of the best films ever made. This Martin Scorsese film even helped Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty get discovered. It's a sports movie that manages to balance drama and biographical recounting of a real story, which makes the film even more unique and relatable.
Just like many other Martin Scorsese films, Raging Bull has its great moments with stellar one-liners that complement the overall atmosphere of the movie. Here are 10 Most Memorable Quotes From Raging Bull.
"Friends. They're in a huddle. Big business meeting. By the pool, they sit around and talk. Big deals. They make sure she can hear. Big man. Get the f*ck outta here. Big shot. Get 'em all in a back room, smack 'em around, no more big shot, without his gun. They're tough guys. They're all tough guys."
Before the previous interaction happens (where Jake asks Joey about his wife), Joey tells this short "story," so to say. He is seemingly talking about something usual, explaining it to his brother. But by this point, Jake has become extremely paranoid.
Jake is suspicious about everything and continues "attacking" Joey with questions, finally asking him about Vickie. Joey even points out how Jake has become out-of-shape due to him eating all the time. But Jake is relentless and doesn't listen, only focusing on his own questions.
"He ain't pretty no more."
This phrase became iconic thanks to the events preceding it. Tommy Como says it right after the Janiro fight to someone sitting by his side. Earlier, Jake had discussed this matter with Joey. Vickie told Jake that Janiro's face is pretty, so he complains about that to his brother. Joey replies, "Yeah, well, you make him ugly."
The phrase accomplishes several goals at once. It pays off the things that have been set up. It acts as a joke without being too obvious and more subtle and dark humor. It also proves yet again that Jake has serious issues with his temper because he beats up Janiro so much, even though he could have ended it earlier.
"You didn't get me down, Ray."
Jake has been fighting with Sugar Ray Robinson. It was a hard fight, and Jake is now battered almost half to death. Nevertheless, he is on his feet, so he says this to his opponent.
It's a simple phrase, but it shows just how good Jake is at boxing. He stood up to a very tough opponent and got roughly beaten, but he is still standing. He wants to win, so he keeps going on. Despite his awful temper, his strong will and physical endurance are admirable.
"Jake is never gonna be champ. Too many people hate him."
Joey is talking with some important people at a restaurant and spots Vickie, Jake's wife. She is having a drink with the people who are Jake's opponents. Joey goes over to her and takes her aside for a talk. She refuses to go home, saying that she loves Jake, but he never spends time with her anymore. Joey says that he has been a contender for too long and needs an opportunity to show himself. Vickie replies that he is never going to be a champion because too many people hate him.
This is precisely what's happening in real life. Mass media is glad to praise the unproblematic, upcoming sportsmen, but such an approach also works for the sports institutions promoting and aiding these sportsmen. They don't want to see someone like Jake as their champion. They want a "normal" person, someone who doesn't cause drama.
"[Jake La Motta] Did you f*ck my wife? [Joey La Motta] What? [Jake La Motta] Did you f*ck my wife?"
Some say this might even be the best scene in the whole movie. In any case, it's very good indeed. Jake and Joey are talking. It seems to be a normal conversation, but it's already a little off. And then, Jake drops the question before asking some very strange things.
Joey is offended. He doesn't understand why Jake would ask such a thing to his own brother, so he says that he won't answer it. He claims it's a stupid question. Jake, on the other hand, says that Joey is giving him all kinds of answers except for the one he wants to hear.
"If you win, you win. If you lose, you still win."
Joey is at Jake's place, and they are sitting with their wives and babies as they discuss championship. Jake is worried about his weight. He thinks that the weight he had gained will affect his performance somehow. However, his brother seems to be of a different opinion and explains that there is nothing to worry about.
Jake has been fighting so much and so viciously that there is nobody left who actually wants to match with him and fight. They are afraid. If someone new and young appears and wants to fight Jake, there are two outcomes, and both of them will end in Jake being given a shot at the championship. If he wins, there is nobody who wants to match him. If he loses, they will want to match with him, he will beat them, and there will be nobody else again.
"What are ya thinkin' about? Ya keep lookin'. Where the f*ck you going? You're dead! You're married! You're a married man, it's all over. Leave the young girls for me."
With this phrase, Jake's brother Joey reinforces the idea that once a man is married, his life ends, and he is no longer free or "alive." It's a common idea running through many movies where independence and freedom are equated to being single and going out with many different girls rather than sticking with one in a serious relationship and eventually marrying her.
That's exactly what Joey is talking about when he says this to Jake. In the end, Jake's marriage does fall apart because of his terrible temper.
"Go get 'em, champ. I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss..."
In the final scene of the movie, we see overweight and aging Jake as he was at the beginning of the film. It is 1964, and he is getting ready to go on stage. He recites the "I coulda been a contender" scene from 1954's On the Waterfront.
In that scene, Terry Malloy was complaining about his brother not being there for him, but also giving himself some slack at the same time. A stagehand comes in and informs Jake that the auditorium is overcrowded. Then, Jake starts chanting "I'm da boss" over and over again while shadowboxing.
"Who's an animal? Your mother's an animal, ya son of a b*tch."
After having a heated fight with his wife over a steak, Jake welcomes Joey into the apartment. Then, he takes his wife by the arm as they keep arguing and leads her to a room. She slams the doors shut. Jake, on the other hand, turns to the window from which we hear someone calling to him from the streets.
Jake, clearly amused, shouts back these sentences. Such dissonance between the fight he just had with one of the closest people in his life and his immediate shift of attention is probably what made this scene so memorable.
"[Jake La Motta] Come on, hit me. Harder. Harder. [Joey La Motta] What the f*ck do you want? That's hard. What are you trying to prove?"
This scene is known as the argument between Jake and Joey. They are discussing important matters, and Jake asks Joey to hit him. Joey refuses to do so. Jake keeps on trying to persuade him and says that they often have arguments, so Joey probably wants to hit him.
Finally, Joey agrees to do it and puts a kitchen towel around his hand. He starts hitting Jake, but Jake urges him to hit even harder while also starting to hit Joey back. You will notice that such scenes often appear in different movies and TV shows with a popular one happening in Fight Club when Tyler asks the narrator to hit him.