What a Film!

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2007)

"Raging Bull" is easily the greatest Scorsese film, as well as one of the greatest films ever made. It should have nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture.
Robert DeNiro stars in his second Academy Award-winning performance as Jake LaMotta, the factual boxer-turned-seedy nightclub owner. The film is really divided into two parts. The first part of the film focuses on LaMotta's rise to the top in the boxing arena. It also serves as an exposition of the characters, introducing us to LaMotta's future wife, played by Cathy Moriarty, as well as his brother Joey, played exceptionally well by Joe Pesci. There's especially a lot of foreshadowing of future conflicts in th story. The fight scenes are brutally realistic, and certain shots serve as perfect showings of the raging bull that was LaMotta. The move to shoot the film in black-and-white was key, being that it makes the film age better and rely on the older, better tricks to be great.
The two parts are really separated by a montage of colored home videos showing the growing relationship, marriage, and early parenthood of LaMotta and his stunning young wife.
The second part is the place where all hell breaks loose. The bull begins to rage, isolating himself first from his brother and then from his wife, both due to her unhappiness and promiscuous nature. The dialogue in this part of the film is perfect, revealing the characters all to the audience for what they truly are.
The acting is the real key to the film. DeNiro gives the best performance of the film, portraying LaMotta in a realistic and effectively brutal manner. Pesci and Moriarty, both of who earned nominations for Supporting Oscars, are superb as supporting players in the stellar plot. The cinematography and costumes also perfectly convey the time and setting of the film, which is set mostly around the time of World War Two. It's a superb film, and one of my all-time favorites.
I'd recommend this film to anyone age fifteen or older, male or female. This is due to typical Scorsese pervasive use of the f- word, extreme violence as times, explicit sexual content, and a movingly brutal plot. Still, for people who fit into the above-mentioned category, see this film as soon as you can! Note: (recommendations) If you enjoyed this film, you may also enjoy "Pulp Fiction," "Mean Streets," "Goodfellas," and "The Godfather: Parts 1 & 2."