Raging Bull currently edges The Departed 54–46
De Niro's self-destruction outfights the Boston crime machine.
Who do you think should win?
The Verdict Director's Cut
De Niro in the jail cell — punching the wall, head-butting the concrete, 'I'm not an animal' — is the scene that makes Raging Bull more than a boxing film. Scorsese builds two hours of escalating self-destruction toward a man turning the body that won fights into a weapon against itself. The Departed has the more complex plot. Raging Bull has the more devastating trajectory. The lead says a single devastating trajectory outperforms a complex architecture. De Niro's descent carries the film past Scorsese's own later brilliance.
The Numbers
| The Departed | Raging Bull | |
|---|---|---|
| Head-to-Head | 46% | 54% |
| Overall Win Rate | 57% | 43% |
| Championships | 61 | 17 |
| Avg Decision | 2.4s | 2.8s |
| Budget | $90M | $18M |
| Return | 3.2x | 1.3x |
The Departed wins 57% of its matchups across BingeBracket, compared to 43% for Raging Bull. The overall record favours The Departed — but not in this head-to-head.
Where This Matchup Sits
BingeBracket tracks 101 Drama films — The Departed is in the top quarter, Raging Bull is in the lower half.
Among Martin Scorsese's 5 films on BingeBracket, The Departed sits at #3 and Raging Bull at #5.
Looking at shared opponents, Taxi Driver draws a line between them: The Departed dominates that matchup, but Raging Bull comes out on the wrong side.
Where to Watch
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