"Raging Bull" hits the bullseye

Rating: 10/10 (6 July 2005)

Raging Bull was labeled by critics the greatest film of the 1980s. Their exactly right. Many also put Raging Bull at the top of the list of the best pictures by Martin Scorsese. Personally, I think that Taxi Driver is Scorsese's best, and that Raging Bull is his second best. But it's still pretty close between them. Robert De Niro deserved his Oscar for playing Jake La Motta. I think that this is his finest piece of acting. I said in another review that I loved the fact that this film is black and white. I can not imagine it in color and the black and white texture seems to add so much to the story. It fits De Niro's character, who seems to only see things in black and white as he breaks down. It's interesting that the filming of Raging Bull in black and white was done because Scorsese realized that, after filming for a while, that the boxing gloves were the wrong color. They were red. They were supposed to be brown. So, on the spot, he decided to switch to black and white. Brilliant. Some of the greatest decisions are made due to small mistakes. Watch this movie if you have not seen it. It's the best boxing movie ever. Better than Rocky, Million Dollar Baby, and Cinderella Man.