Raging Bull Ending Explained
The movie Raging Bull follows the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, a tough guy from the Bronx whose anger destroys everything around him. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it stars Robert De Niro as Jake, who gains weight and changes his body to play the older, broken version of the fighter. The story shows Jake’s rise in the ring, his fights with his wife Vickie and brother Joey, and how his jealousy and violence lead to his downfall. By the end, Jake is no longer a champion. He runs a seedy nightclub, performs a bad comedy routine, and lives alone with his pain.
One key scene near the end has Jake staring at himself in a mirror, his face swollen and beaten. He punches the mirror and yells, “I’m the champ!” But he is not. This moment captures his denial. Jake cannot accept that his raging nature caused his losses in the ring and in life. The film makes it clear that his fall comes from who he is deep inside, not just bad luck or others betraying him.https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/raging-bull/raging-bull-1980-boxing-scenes-fight-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-jake-lamotta
The very last part shows Jake rehearsing lines from the movie On the Waterfront. He repeats, “I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” These words hit hard because they sum up Jake’s regret. He knows he threw away his chance at greatness through his own self-destruction. Unlike the character in that older film who finds some peace, Jake stays trapped in his anger. There is no happy ending or big lesson learned. He just keeps fighting shadows of his past.
This ending works because it mirrors real life. Jake LaMotta based his story on his own book, and Scorsese made the film during his own dark time. Scorsese was sick from drugs and nearly died, but De Niro pushed him to make Raging Bull to save his life.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Scorsese The movie almost did not get made due to these struggles.https://collider.com/greatest-sports-movie-ever-raging-bull-coming-to-netflix-january-2026/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/dreadful-moment-that-led-martin-scorsese-to-raging-bull/ Like Jake, Scorsese poured his pain into the work, making the ending feel raw and true. Jake’s story warns that unchecked rage leads to ruin, with no easy way out.
Sources
https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/raging-bull/raging-bull-1980-boxing-scenes-fight-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-jake-lamotta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Scorsese
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/news/
https://collider.com/greatest-sports-movie-ever-raging-bull-coming-to-netflix-january-2026/
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/dreadful-moment-that-led-martin-scorsese-to-raging-bull/
