Strong and passionate, knocks others out the ring

Rating: 9/10 (14 February 2009)

Jake Le Motta (De Niro) struggles through his real life whilst being trained hard to get his title shot in the boxing ring.
From the wondrous Robert De Niro (The King of Comedy) reflection of Jake Le Motta to Martin Scoursese's (The Aviator) brutally artistic direction this is one fine boxing drama.
Will Smith's Oscar nominated role as Muhammad Ali is one of the finest portrayals of a legend ever depicted on the big screen. His charisma and attitude reflects the boxing champion right down to his heart and De Niro betters one of the finest roles here by reflecting on the hard attitude of one of the most cruellest boxers of all time. Oscar Winner De Niro takes the cruel heart of Le Motta and portrays it in such a way that is deeply disturbing and riveting viewing. His attitude to be the best and be trusted is almost heart stopping.
Juxtaposed with Joe Pesci (Goodfellas) and the pair create a memorable on screen relationship as brothers. Pesci's unsure character is a true depiction of real life in a portrayal of uncertainty and unwillingness to go against beliefs.
In her introductory role Cathy Moriarty is a silent figure in the film, a remarkable debut performance that epitomises that feeling of loneliness and pain, which is a reflection on the film's important narrative.
Opening with Jake in the ring preparing himself for a match we see a silent man standing in a foggy ring juxtaposed with a mournful song playing. This atmospheric introduction leads viewers into false pretence as the film is anything but beautiful. This is drama at its most brutal.
Reflecting on marriages, rivalry and self pressure Raging Bull justifies its tag and the real life dealings of Le Motta. Never too long, Raging Bull fits so much into the two hours that when reviewing you will always find something new. And why wouldn't you want to review this film? Scoursese's direction here is possibly his finest. The opening scene is justice to that, as is the numerous boxing fights.
Hard and gritty Raging Bull is a passionate film that reflects on important real life issues and with its sharp and skillful direction and performances, knocks all other sports films out of the ring.