With Raging Bull, Martin Scorsese’s personal approach to filmmaking is taken to a whole new level. Shooting in a crisp black and white, Scorsese tells the story of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, played with incredible intensity by Oscar winner Robert De Niro. As La Motta rises through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown, he falls in love with Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), a gorgeous girl from his Bronx neighborhood. Jake’s inability to express his feelings pours out in the ring and eventually takes over his life in his dealings with his brother, Joey (a brilliant Joe Pesci). Irrational jealousy over Vickie, as well as an insatiable appetite, sends him into a downward spiral that costs him his title, his wife, and his relationship with Joey.

As the out-of-control fighter, De Niro delivers one of the screen’s most unforgettable performances. Pesci is just as intense as Joey, who finally realizes that he is unable to tame his animalistic brother. Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Chapman shoot the film with a stylish flair that fills the boxing scenes with boundless energy and adds immediacy to the endless arguments that erupt whenever Jake is outside the ring. Simply put, Raging Bull is one of American cinema’s masterworks.

Directed by
Martin Scorsese

Cast
Robert De Niro - Jake LaMotta
Cathy Moriarty-Gentile - Vickie LaMotta
Joe Pesci - Joey LaMotta
Joseph Bono - Guido
Lori Anne - Flax Irma
Charles Scorsese - Charlie--Man With Como
Don Dunphy - Himself
Bill Hanrahan - Eddie Eagan

Produced by
Irwin Winkler
Robert Chartoff
Peter Savage

Studio
United Artists Films

Writer
Jake LaMotta
Joseph Carter
Paul Schrader

Music
Garth Hudson
Robbie Robertson