Raging Bull currently edges The Departed 54–46
De Niro's self-destruction outfights the Boston crime machine.
The Verdict Director's Cut
This matchup has 13 votes — still early. The picture may shift as more people weigh in.
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 | 60% | 44% |
| Championships | 39 | 4 |
| Budget | $90M | $18M |
| Return | 3.2x | 1.3x |
The Departed wins 60% of its matchups across BingeBracket, compared to 44% for Raging Bull. The overall record favours The Departed — but not in this head-to-head.
Where This Matchup Sits
BingeBracket tracks 88 Drama films — The Departed is in the top quarter, Raging Bull is in the lower half.
Within Martin Scorsese's filmography on BingeBracket, The Departed sits at #1 and Raging Bull at #3 out of 4.
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.
Think The Departed deserves better?
You're in the 46%.
Play the bracket these 13 votes came from. Your pick shifts the result.
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