Serpico, Raging Bull

It's safe to say that I'm officially on a Pacino/De Niro binge. It started with The Deer Hunter, which led to Heat, which led to Serpico, which then led to Raging Bull.

I've seen more classic De Niro than I have Pacino, so I was particularly excited to finally check out Serpico.

It's almost shocking to see Pacino restrained these days, after gotten used to chewing scenery for the last two decades, but it's roles like Serpico that reminds us why he is an acting giant. His authentic and dedicated performance gives us an idea of what Serpico was really like, and in turn makes us care not only about the character but for the cause he is working so hard for.

Something I've noticed while talking about this film and also The Deer Hunter, is that when you actually talk about what the film is about and what they are trying to achieve is actually quite simple. For example, Serpico is about an honest cop trying to make a difference in the very corrupt system he works for. That's it. The Deer Hunter follows a group of smalltown friends and the affect the Vietnam War has on them. Sounds simple enough. Yet the combination of great acting and great direction turns these simple premises into something that can stand the test of time. It's a point I've touched on before, but the amount of care that went into making films like these is something that is so evidently missing in most of film making today, and it really makes me appreciate that period of time in the 70s and early 80s when true filmmakers were the ones running Hollywood.

Sorry for the tangent, back to business.

I had seen Raging Bull only once before, so I was going into this viewing with a fairly fresh perspective. I remembered most of the big story beats, but had forgotten a lot of the harsh relationships in the movie.

The work De Niro does here is the stuff of legend, and it is without a doubt one of the best performances of all time, but I have to admit I appreciated his work in the The Deer Hunter more. It's obviously a much more personal performance, and granted Raging Bull isn't exactly trying to get you to love Jake LaMotta, but with The Deer Hunter I was able to understand what his character had been through and why it made him act the way he did. Whereas in Raging Bull, he is simply, a dick.

Don't get me wrong, I love Raging Bull, and it absolutely deserves it's status as a classic film, it's just so fresh and exciting to finally see some of De Niro's quieter performances and to also finally realize why he is indeed a damn fine actor.