 That's ENTERTAINMENT 9 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Widely regarded as one of the classic films of all time, "Raging Bull" certainly is a cinematic masterpiece. Filmed in atmospheric Black and White it is mean and moody from the opening sequence of a lone boxer warming up in the ring, to the final scene of the "On the Waterfront" monologue, and is definitely a film that challenges more than entertains.
In short the story is the film-biopic of middle weight world champion Jake La Mota, charting his rise and fall both in the ring and in his personal life. Jealous to the point of paranoia La Mota is certainly not a particularly nice character and refreshingly the film makes no attempt to gloss over any of La Mota's less appealing characteristics. Most of the picture is taken over from a full frontal assault by his arrogant, violence and downright nasty performance and the abuse he dishes out to not only his competitors but to friends, and more importantly, family.
The acting performances are in a word, superb. De Niro obviously fully deserved his Oscar for what is an awesome performance. Full credit to yet another brilliant turn by Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty as La Mota's wife chips in with a fine routine also. Both were nominated for Oscars.
Make no mistakes; this isn't a family fun film, a la Rocky, to watch on a Saturday afternoon. It is dark, depressing, seldom uplifting but remains a compelling film that grabs hold of you and doesn't let go for the complete duration.
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This is a two-man movie; Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese are two of the brightest talents in their respective fields, and this film shows them at their best. Much has been made of De Niro's reputation as a fiercly dedicated method actor, and this represents arguably his strongest performance - as boxer Jake Le Motta, the Raging Bull of the title, De Niro is never less than perfectly convincing. As an animalistic man both in and out of the ring, it's a towering performance which never ceases to frighten and fascinate. Scorsese matches him blow for blow, with a sure directorial touch which is equally at home depicting claustrophobic domestic scenes or beautiful, balletic scenes of ring-bound violence.
Unforgettable
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