With this stunningly visceral portrait of self-destructive machismo, Martin Scorsese created one of the truly great and visionary works of modern cinema. Robert De Niro pours his blood, sweat, and brute physicality into the Oscar-winning role of Jake La Motta, the rising middleweight boxer from the Bronx whose furious ambition propels him to success within the ring but whose unbridled paranoia and jealousy tatter his relationships with everyone in his orbit, including his brother and manager (Joe Pesci) and his gorgeous, streetwise wife (Cathy Moriarty). Thelma Schoonmakerās Oscar-winning editing, Michael Chapmanās extraordinarily tactile black-and-white cinematography, and Frank Warnerās ingenious sound design combine to make Raging Bull a uniquely powerful exploration of violence on multiple levelsāphysical, emotional, psychic, and spiritual.
