Raging Bull is a masterpiece.

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2013)

Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriatry.
Written by Jake La Motta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage, Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin
"If you win, you win. If you lose, you still win."
Raging Bull is about 'an emotionally self-destructive boxer's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring, destroys his life outside it.'
Martin Scorsese is in his prime with this film. The direction and tone is breathtaking. The editing was great. His quick screen cuts with Thelma Schoonmaker is as brilliant as always. Poetic to the eyes. Cinematography was superb.His camera movements inside and outside of the ring is legendary. The black and white filming only adds to the beauty of the film. Brought class and design to the screen. I've read people complain about the fight scenes not being believable but I believe that was the inflection Scorsese was looking for. It was a mess in the ring. It was careless, unorganized, sloppy and devastating. Jake La Motta was a monster and the choreographed fight scenes spoke for him.
The acting in this film was marvelous. What more could be said about Robert De Niro? He was magnificent. An Oscar winning performance. He's brilliant though the character he is portraying was far from it. Jake La Motta is a self-destructing man who is spiraling out of control. He is rude, impatient, paranoid and oh, so violent! Yet at the end of the film, you feel sorrow for such a monster. Joe Pesci is also great. He stands by his brother's side as long as he could. He is abused physically and emotionally in his home and in public. After a while, the audience begins to feel his pain. He is looked at like a clown by his own blood. But at the end, he has the final laugh. Great story telling.
The score was fascinating. Scorsese went for a more classical genre in this picture. There's such carnage and menace through the film yet in the background you hear such beautiful music. It left me at a loss for words yet at the end, it worked. It worked like a charm. It brought class to such a brilliant and brutal story.
Raging Bull is a masterpiece. I believe to be the best film to come out of the 80's. An unforgettable experience and a must see for every film lover out there!