The finest two hours on film

Rating: Null/10 (19 September 2001)

There is little to criticize in this film. The splendid camera work, the perfect 1940s New York locations, an unsurpassed cast, splendid editing and of course the inimitable combination of De Niro and Scorsese make for a movie that feels timeless - with most films there is usually a quality that allows one to determine the approximate age. This is due in no small part to the black-and-white film, although few ignorant of its age would guess this film is now 21 years old.
The fight scenes are magnificent - super-real in detail (the fights are reportedly taken punch-for-punch from the original ones) while LaMotta later commented that after a gruelling training regime De Niro could have quite conceivably turned professional. Scorsese used differing sizes of boxing rings to illustrate atmosphere and boxing style. If you ever see the film, take a second to notice.
There are countless memorable moments and endless quotable dialogue, and the everyday scenes counteract the explosive fights. Joe Pesci turns in a lifetime best performance (in my opinion better than Tommy in GoodFellas and Nicky in Casino), while Cathy Moriarty is excellent as LaMotta's long-suffering wife.
There really is too much to write about. Just watch it.