Modern-day Citizen Kane. It stands the test of time.

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2014)

Raging Bull has been raved as the best movie of the 80s and currently ranks number 4 on AFI's list of 100 Greatest Films. I can certainly see why.
Raging Bull is a genius piece of cinema. The way the boxing scenes, cinematography and all else was done with simple tricks that make for a great flick. Citizen Kane was perhaps the first movie to use genius camera tricks and filming techniques. Movies with genius filming tricks are equivalent to, or sometimes surpass, heavily computer-generated masterpieces like the new Planet of the Apes movies. It shows that less can be more. It can also symbolize a part in the movie and give a scene deep-meaning. That is why I agree with this being the best movie Martin Scorsese ever directed.
Raging Bull tells the story of middleweight boxing legend, Jake LaMotta's rise and fall. He is explosive temper is fuelled by his personal demons of frustration, jealousy, fear and paranoia of his professional and personal lives leads him to the top of the boxing world and destroys his personal life, where he eventually loses everybody that supported him. De Niro was so fantastic and was very deserving of his Oscar. Everybody in the supporting cast was excellent too. This is not a movie about boxing. That is why some people may not like this. If you think of it as a movie about boxing, you will not understand the message or meaning that this movie is trying to convey. Even if you don't think of it as a boxing movie, it may take a few watches to understand the depth. The main theme, which is probably the most important and the movie's main message, is how bad it is when violence consumes one's life: he responds with any kind of situation even remotely negative with the only way he knows how--the monster he becomes in the ring. If you can't figure out the message, you will not think this movie is totally amazing. Once figured out, you will love the movie that much more. Like Citizen Kane or It's a Wonderful Life, the main message is one that is always relevant and comes with a strong impact.
4/4