Joey LaMotta quotes from Raging Bull (1980)

Joey LaMotta

What are ya thinkin' about? Ya keep lookin'. Where the **** you going? You're dead! You're married! You're a married man, it's all over. Leave the young girls for me.

Joey LaMotta

He gave you the old good news/bad news routine. The good news is - you're gonna get the shot at the title. And the bad news is - they want ya to do the old flip-flop for 'em.

Salvy

That shit would've never happened if Tommy was over there takin' care of him. You know he's gotta be with Tommy to fight in New York to get a title shot. I mean, he's gonna wind up ****in' punch-drunk, your brother.

Joey

I know.

Salvy

You know. You gotta make him understand that it's the best thing for everybody involved.

Joey

I said, I know.

Salvy

You know, but you gotta make him know. You gotta tell him and make him understand.

Jake

What's wrong with me? My hands.

Joey

Your hands? What about 'em?

Jake

I got these small hands. I got a little girl's hands.

Joey

I got 'em too. What's the difference?

Jake

You know what that means? No matter how big I get, no matter who I fight, no matter what I do, I ain't never gonna fight Joe Louis.

Joey

Yeah, that's right. He's a heavy-weight. You're a middle-weight. What of it?

Jake

I ain't ever gonna get a chance to fight the best there is. And you know somethin'. I'm better than him. I ain't never gonna get a chance. You're askin' what's wrong.

Joey

But you're crazy to even think about somethin' like that...

Jake

Come on, hit me. Harder. Harder. Come on, don't be a little ****. Come on. Hit me. You throw a punch like you take it up the ass. Come on. Harder.

Joey

What the **** do you want? That's hard. What are you trying to prove?

Joey

They only came up here because Tommy told 'em to come up and try to help us.

Jake

Whatsa matter with you? Help who? Whatsa matter with you?...Help me by takin' my money? Is that what you're talkin' about - takin' my money? I'm here breakin' my ass, not them. Don't ever bring 'em up here again, ya hear me?

Joey

She ain't the kind of girl you just **** and forget about, this girl.

Jake

Joey, how many times I gotta tell ya? Why're you always cursin' when I'm talkin' to you? Don't do it around me. Do it around your friends...

Joey

She's a, the kind of girl you bang and forget about - she's not like that. You gotta spend time with her, get involved, you know...

Jake

Did you bang her?

Joey

No.

Jake

Tell me the truth.

Joey

I just told you the truth. I tell you the truth the first time. You don't have to ask me again. I never do that. I always tell you the truth. If I did it, you would know. [Joey pauses.] ...I took her out a couple of times.

Jake

You went with her and you didn't try to **** her?

Joey

I try to **** anything.

Joey

They only gave him that ****in' decision because he's goin' in the Army next week. That's the only reason.

Jake

I knocked him down. I don't know what else I gotta do. I don't know what I gotta do...

Joey

You won and they robbed ya. They're miserable because their mothers take it up the ****in' ass, that's why.

Jake

I've done a lot of bad things, Joey. Maybe it's comin' back to me. Who knows? I'm a jinx maybe...

Joey

Do you want a title shot?

Jake

What am I - what am I, a circus over here?...What are ya doin'?

Joey

You're killin' yourself for three years now, right? There's nobody left for you to fight. Everybody's afraid to fight you. OK. Along comes this kid Janiro. He don't know any better. He's a young kid, up and coming, he'll fight anybody. Good! You fight him...Let's say you lose because of your weight. Are they gonna think you're not as tough as you are - you're not the same fighter? Good! They'll match you with all those guys that were afraid of matchin' with you before. What happens? You'll kill 'em. And they gotta give you a title shot.
...

Joey

Now let's say you win, you beat Janiro. Which is, definitely, you should beat him. Right?...Right?...They still gotta give you a shot at the title. You know why?

Jake

Why?

Joey

Because the same thing as before - there's nobody left. There ain't nobody around. They gotta give you the shot. You understand? If you win, you win. If you lose, you still win. There's no way you can lose. And you do it on your own, just the way you wanted to do, without any help from anybody. Do ya understand? Just get down to 155 pounds - you fat bastard. You stop eatin'!

Jake

She said he's pretty.

Joey

Yeah, well, you make him ugly.

Vickie

I feel like I'm a prisoner. I can't walk, I look at somebody the wrong way I get smacked...I'm tired of havin' to turn around and havin' both of yuz up my ass all the time...I'm twenty years old, I gotta go home and sleep by myself every night?

Joey

What the **** did you marry him for?

Vickie

'Cause I love him.

Joey

You do?

Vickie

Yeah, I love him. Well, what am I supposed to do? This guy - he don't even wanna **** me.

Joey

He's just been a contender too long. He'll be all right as soon as he gets his shot and then everything will be OK...

Vickie

Jake's never gonna be champ. Too many people hate him.

Joey

You're makin' an asshole out of my brother.

Tommy

Listen to me. Now, Jake - the guy's become an embarrassment. He's embarrassin' me with certain people. And I'm lookin' very bad. I can't deliver a kid from my own god-damned neighborhood. What is it with him? Why does he have to make it so hard on himself, for Christ's sake? He comes to me - I'll make it easier for him. The man's got a head of rock.

Joey

You know, it's hard to explain, Tommy. Jack respects you. I mean, he don't even say hello to anybody. You know, you he talks to, he likes you. It's just that, uh, when he gets somethin' on his mind, you know, he's got a hard head, he likes to do things his own way. I mean, Jesus Christ he'd come off the cross sometimes and he don't give a ****. He's gonna do what he wants to do. He wants to make it on his own, you know. Thinks he can make it on his own.

Tommy

Make it on his own. He thinks he's gonna walk in there and become champion on his own. Huh?...he's got no respect for nobody. He doesn't listen to nobody...He doesn't respect anybody. Now you do this for me, you understand? You tell him, I don't care how colorful he is or great he is. He could beat all the Sugar Ray Robinsons and the Tony Janiros in the world, but he ain't gonna get a shot at that title - not without us he ain't. Now you're a smart kid, you go to him...

Jake

I know she's doin' somethin'. I just wanna catch her once. Just once.

Joey

Hey Jack, you wanna do yourself a favor? Bust her ****in' hole, throw her out, either that or live with her and let her ruin your life, 'cause that's what's happenin'.

Jake

I heard some things...Did Salvy **** Vickie?

Joey

What?

Jake

Did Salvy **** Vickie?

Joey

Now Jack, don't start your shit...

Jake

Joey I asked ya, didn't I ask ya to keep an eye on her?

Joey

And I did keep an eye on her, yes I did.

Jake

How come you give him a beatin'?

Joey

I told you that. I told you what that was all about. That it had nothin' to do with you. He, he thinks he's a wise guy now.

Jake

Joey, don't lie to me.

Joey

I'm not lying.

Jake

What do I look like to you, huh?

Joey

Hey, I'm your brother. You're supposed to believe me. Don't you trust me?

Jake

No I don't.

Joey

Oh you don't? That's nice.

Jake

I don't trust you when it comes to her. I don't trust nobody. Now tell me what happened.

Joey

I told you exactly what happened. He got out of line, I slapped him around. Tommy straightened it all out, and it's all over.

Jake

Don't you give me that look, Joey. I gotta accept your answer, you know. But I'm tellin' you now, if I hear anything, I swear on mother, I'm gonna kill somebody. I'm gonna kill somebody Joey.

Joey

Well, go ahead and kill everybody. You're the tough guy. Go kill people. Kill Vickie. Kill Salvy. Kill Tommy Como. Kill me while you're at it, what do I care? You're killin' yourself the way you eat. You're a fat ****. Look at ya.

Jake

What d'ya mean? I don't understand. What d'ya mean, kill you? You?

Joey

Me. Kill me. Start here. Kill me first. Do me a ****in' favor, 'cause you're drivin' me crazy...

Jake

Excuse me, what d'ya mean by 'you,' though?

Joey

So? What does that mean? It don't mean nothin'.

Jake

You don't even know what you meant by 'you.'

Joey

Don't mean nothin'.

Jake

Joey, that meant somethin'. You mentioned Tommy, you mentioned Salvy, you mentioned you. You included 'you' with them. You could have said anybody but you said 'you' and them.

Joey

You really let this girl ruin your life. Look at ya. She really did some job on ya. You know how ****in' nuts you are? Look what she did to you.

Jake

You **** my wife?

Joey

What?!

Jake

You **** my wife?

Joey

How could you ask me a question like that? How could you ask me? I'm your brother. You ask me that? Where do you get your balls big enough to ask me that?

Jake

Just tell me.

Joey

I'm not answerin' ya. I'm not gonna answer that. It's stupid.

Jake

You're very smart Joey. You give me all these answers, but you ain't givin' me the right answer. I'm askin' ya again. Did you or did you not?

Joey

I'm not gonna answer. That's a sick question, you're a sick ****, and I'm not that sick that I'm gonna answer it. I'm not tellin' ya anything. I'm going to leave. If Lenore calls, tell her I went home. I'm not stayin' in this nuthouse with ya. You're a sick bastard. I feel sorry for you, I really do. You know what you should do - try a little more ****in' and a little less eatin'. You won't have troubles upstairs in your bedroom and you won't take it out on me and everybody else. Do you understand, you ****in' wacko? You're crackin' up! ****in' screwball, ya.