Nothing short of brilliant

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2001)

There is just one word that can describe every aspect of this movie: BRILLIANT.
The acting for one: Robert De Niro delivers his best performance about the tormented boxer Jake LaMotta constantly struggling with the money and the fame his boxing gives him. But mostly he is tormented by himself. The sheer fact that DeNiro was willing to gain 20 kilos for this role instead of using a prostetic is absolutely amazing. The commitment this man has to roles he loves. Joe Pesci displays his usual brilliance in the hot-headed Italian guy role. The supporting cast is nothing short of brilliant also. Cathy Moriarty is very believable as the wife who is bullied around the clock by LaMotta because of his insecurities. I can of course try to praise everybody here personally, but that would take up too much space.
The other tremendous star of this movie is the editing. Thelma Schoonmaker has done a brilliant job of combining different speeds of film footage and everything. Martin Scorsese is totally in his element surrounded by the people he loves to work with the most: screenwriters Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin are at their best.
Photography was beautiful in its glorious B&W with a few patches of color. It really brings a lot more drama to these scenes. I was astounded.
If the opening sequence doesn't grip you due to its beauty, then nothing will.
10/10