Outstanding!

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 1999)

Raging Bull is routinely called the best film of the 80's, and many people call it the greatest film of all time. It certainly deserves those accolades and more. It ranks solidly in my all time top ten and is one of the most painful character studies in movie history.
Raging Bull is about a boxer but it is not a boxing movie. In fact, I would be surprised if the fight scenes make up more than 15 minutes of the entire film. They are so brutal and so well done, they seem longer.
Director Martin Scorsese has one of the most impressive C.V.s of any director, and I believe him to be the greatest filmmaker ever. Raging Bull is a work or directorial genius, but the film is primarily Robert DeNiro's triumph. It garnered him a well-deserved 2nd Oscar for this portrayal of a vicious, dislikable near-sociopath with an insane jealous streak and countless personal demons.
In the movies best scene, DeNiro's Jake La Motta takes an absolute pummeling from Sugar Ray Robinson - he appears to be beaten nearly to death. But La Motta is still able to feel victorious, in a smug, insane sort of way as he staggers away, barely able to talk, grins at Robinson and says "You never knocked me down, Ray." This scene, for me, sums up the film. You see the best of the directing, editing, acting and special effects, combined with direct insight into La Motta's character. It is truly unforgettable. (This is another editing masterpiece by Thelma Schoonmaker, who also did Goodfellas and most of Scorsese's important work).
Is this Scorsese's best film? IMHO, no, it ranks just behind Goodfellas. But it is still a great film - one of the best ever made. This is an honest, raw and violent film, not for the faint of heart or seekers of fluffy endings. **** out of ****.