FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
RAGING BULL
Considered by many American film critics to be the best film of the ‘80's,
Raging Bull is simply one of the greatest sports films ever made. Portraying Jake
La Motta as both middleweight champ and heavyweight chump, Robert De Niro's
powerful and emotional performance redefined method acting. This is the film that made
audiences take notice of Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty, whose
Lana Turner-like beauty radiates in the magnificent black-and-white
transfer.
DVD Extras: This special edition is a film buff's dream.
The multiple commentaries from cast and crew, as well as the real Jake
La Motta, are engaging and shed light on the difficulties of the shoot, which
took months off to accommodate De Niro's famed weight gain.
There is a generous if not repetitive 82-minute, four-part featurette
highlighting the precision that went into shooting and choreographing the
brutal boxing scenes. "The Bronx Bull" is a half-hour documentary that
allows La Motta to tell his story directly, adding that after training
De Niro, the actor was in good enough shape to have competed professionally.
The newsreel footage shows us a La Motta comeback while the
shot-by-shot comparison to De Niro clearly illustrates the actor’s astonishing
physical transformation. Jeff Sneider
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