Incredible

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2003)

This movie is undoubtedly Martin Scorcese's and Robert De Niro's best work together and is in my opinion one of the greatest movies ever made. It's perfect in every way. The boxing scenes are violent and real and Scorcese makes you really feel like youre there. The black and white was a perfect touch in achieving the nitty-gritty feel of the film. But Raging Bull's real triumph isn't the boxing scenes or Jake La Motta's path to the middleweight world championship, but the portrayal of La Motta's character and his path to ruin.
Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta was one of the greatest acting jobs of all time. I can honestly say that I can never once tell that he isn't actually living that life and is in front of a camera. In the film, Jake La Motta is definitely a messed up dude, and it his self- destructive nature that is Raging Bull's main focus. Ultimately, La Motta crumbled into a divorced, fat criminal and a mere shadow of the troubled but brave man he used to be. Almost equalling de Niro are Joe Pesci as La Motta's brother and Cathy Moriarty as Jake's wife. The dialogue between the two brothers flows well and is quite often hilarious. All in all, a magnificent acting performance, and De Niro's oscar for best actor was well deserved.
The only complaint I have about this movie is at the end when Robert De Niro quotes Marlon Brando from On The Waterfront. Even though Brando's words fit La Motta's situation extremely well, I wish Raging Bull hadn't used an excerpt from a different movie and had spoken for itself. But, aside from that, this movie is perfect in pretty much every way.