Boxing has never felt so touching...SpOiLeRs!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2005)

There is at some point every few years where there are a few films spoke about that are just unbelievably good from Citizen Kane, On The Waterfront, 2001 : A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Godfather, Taxi Driver etc. Raging Bull would fit easily in the classics above.
Robert De Niro who plays Jake La Motta is fantastic, if there is ever an example of near perfect method acting then this has to be it. Having already played Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver to a creepily amazing level he ups it a notch. From getting in shape to play the young Jake through to eating his way to gain an additional 40lbs+ for the older Jake, this i believe is the most committed role an actor has ever portrayed.
The film examines from Jake's life from 1941 - 1964 from his first defeat in the ring through his marriage to Vicki (Cathy Moriaty) to gaining the world title, losing the title and losing all those around him including his wife, children and his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) and ending up in jail, through to being a bloated comedian in one of his clubs.
Moriaty and Pesci both turn in good performances as the downtrodden and abused wife and the supportive brother respectively. The interactions between the characters is totally believable.
the black and white (of which the film is entirely shot in apart from some home movie sequences) is put to good use in the film and really gives a good feel to the era of the film, the actual boxing scenes have to be the best in any sort of boxing film.
Martin Scorsese deserved the Oscar for this picture and the fact that he didn't get it is a travesty.
All in all 10/10