Rocky who?... KO for Scorsese!

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2005)

The drama, the fights, the acting! BRILLIANT!! I am waiting for Eastwood's Million Dolar Baby before I declare this as the Best movie about a boxer/boxing ever! The movie chronicles the life of Jake LaMott, a real life boxer. We watch as his career ascends... and descends. No- scratch that his life ascends and descends. The moody black and white that Scorsese used to film this really adds to the feel of things- it is almost a contrast to the events. Not every choice is labeled in black and white, there are fine subtleties that distort your perception... The boxing is raw- hard hitting beautiful. However, the boxing accounts for maybe one third of the events in this film. Just wait until DeNiro gives his epilogue in the end. He recites lines from On the Waterfront. The scene is beautiful... Haunting and it leaves a knot in your stomach...MASTERPIECE.