Raging Bull : Ultimate Edition (1980) DVD – Theresa Saldana, Frank Topham

Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed biopic of Jake La Motta, the boxing world champion who rose rapidly to fame but swiftly fell from grace. On the road to success, La Motta (Robert De Niro) marries the beautiful young Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), but the pressures of success soon make him paranoid and he ends up alienating both his wife and his brother, Joey (Joe Pesci). Shot entirely in black and white, the film features brutal fight scenes and sees an Oscar-winning performance by De Niro, who famously tailored his physical appearance to suit the role, putting on 50 pounds to portray the portly, middle-aged La Motta.

Raging Bull is arguably the finest work produced from the Scorsese and De Niro partnership. De Niro gives an amazing portrayal of real-life boxer Jake LaMotta whose animal side lurks just beneath the surface ever ready to erupt. Vivid and unremitting in its uncompromising brutality and honesty the fight sequences are famed for their realism. Jake LaMotta is a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence both in and out of the ring. Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty are unforgettable as the brother who falls prey to Jake’s mounting paranoia and the fifteen-year-old girl who becomes his most prized trophy. Violent throughout this film is a testament to Scorsese’s and De Niro’s skills creating a thoroughly absorbing film about such an unlikable character. Renowned for throwing himself into the roles of his character De Niro went on a diet to gain fifty pounds during production for the role of the faded star. Raging Bull garnered eight Oscar” nominations and won two including Best Actor for De Niro – the second of two Golden statues for the Italian-American method actor.