The Scarred Bull

Out of the many subgenres that linger in modern cinema, one in particular was at the head of the pack in the 70's and 80's, this being the Italian-American Drama. At the helm of this movement was Martin Scorsese. After releasing the cultural phenomenon  Tax Driver, Scorsese released Raging Bull in 1980. Raging Bull often considered Scorsese's best, was a biopic about Jake La Motta, a Middle Weight boxer trying to make it in New York City. Similarly later on in the 80's, Brian De Palma's Scarface was released. Scarface features Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who climbs the Miami crime ladder.

Both Montana and La Motta have forbidden loves. For La Motta, it's the local pool side teenager Vickie, who enamors the local mob members. For Montana, it's his own mob boss's wife, Elvira. Both these women represent a goal for the protagonist, an American woman to complete American Dream.

 Each movie has a pivotal scene where the protagonists have realized their goals. In Scarface, it's probably the second most famous scene in the movie, Tony has just successfully taken over his bosses entire estate, he looks up in the night sky and see's the flashing words "The World Is Yours." In Raging Bull, the scene is not quite as obvious. At first you'd think La Motta's "The World Is Yours" moment is when he wins his title, except winning the title isn't what he wants, he wants to fight. When La Motta is fighting and winning THAT is when the world is his. Him winning the title is actually the climax, and the following parts of the movie is the falling action.

Scarface shows Tony's downfall, his plunge into coke filled rages and the failing of his marriage. All leading to the final showdown in his Mansion, Raging Bull takes a subtler route, after La Motta wins his belt, it skips year and we see Jake beat his wife and brother, accusing them of sleeping with eachother, After this, anothet time skip takes place, and we see him retired and fat, running sleazy clubs in Miami, almost immediately we see his wife leave him, and him being arrested and break down in his jail cell, beating his head and fists against the wall, despising how he became a shadow of his former self, unlike Tony Montana, who was killed before he could fully realize the depth of his failure as a brother, a husband, and a friend.

Both these films were the tale of flawed man seeking his stake of the American Dream, and acheiving it. Only to be to cut down by the very part of themselves that got them to the top, La Motta's anger, and Montana's ambition.