Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Raging Bull


Martin Scorsese is, without a doubt, one of the greatest filmmakers ever. A New York boy, he's made many movies set in his hometown. His 1980s classic Raging Bull may very well be his best film and it was considered by many critics the single best movie of the 1980s.

The story of Jake LaMotta, a boxer with more rage than Mike Tyson ever had, is hard to describe. He was a great boxer, a tragic figure, and a fascinating character. He was proof that human beings are, despite millions of years of evolution, despite all our culture, education, and pretenses to the contrary, animals. Jake LaMotta's rage and extreme behavior showed how ugly and beautiful we all can be, and his story remains haunting. That his hard life became the basis for this film is probably its most redemptive quality. And it gave Robert DeNiro the role of his lifetime.

You should read this fascinating article about how this movie came to be made. It not only redeemed LaMotta but also Scorsese, showing that no one is beyond redemption.

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