A 1980 film that’s frequently hailed as a ‘masterpiece’ of cinema has just been added to Netflix
A “masterpiece” biographical film featuring Robert De Niro is now available to stream on Netflix in the UK. Raging Bull (1980) is a sporting drama based on the life story of world champion pugilist Jake LaMotta.
De Niro portrays LaMotta, whose “violence and determination led him to the very top inside the ring but destroyed his relationships outside it”, according to the BBC’s description. The picture, helmed by Martin Scorsese, De Niro’s frequent creative partner, also features Joe Pesci as Jake’s younger sibling and former manager, alongside Cathy Moriarty as Jake’s enduring spouse Vickie.
The production secured two Academy Awards, with De Niro claiming Best Actor and Thelma Schoonmaker winning Best Editing, and remains regarded as a cinematic landmark. An article on film website Taste of Cinema declared it the “greatest biopic of all time”, commending its acting and “surrealist” fight sequences.
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Viewers have flocked to IMDb to express their admiration for the picture, with one describing it as a “masterpiece” whilst praising Scorsese’s vision. “The fight scenes are famous for their brutal realism and it’s easy to see why,” they commented, reports the Express.
“He puts you right in the ring with the fighters and you cant help but admire their technical brilliance. However, the most stunning aspect of all is Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing. It’s some of the best editing I’ve ever seen especially during the fight scenes where it’s positively breathtaking.”
A second viewer observed: “Besides the legendary performance of Robert De Niro, there are many things in this film that will remain in my heart forever: the splendid black & white, the contrast between the slow moving scenes and the frenetic ones, the choice of the music and the sense of loss which entangles the whole movie.”
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A third praised the fight sequences as “are the most brutal that I have ever seen on film even though there’s only like 12 minutes of them and the editing is simply brilliant”. They continued: “It should have earned Scorsese a best director Oscar but at least they had enough sense to award de Niro the best actor Oscar,” before concluding: “I’ll come back to this film forever.”
Another viewer, awarding the picture a perfect 10 out of 10, remarked: “Terrific performances by the leads, particularly De Niro and Joe Pesci. Overall this is rightfully one of the greatest films ever made!” The picture carries a 15 certificate and features strong violence, domestic abuse, sexual references, and very strong language – viewer discretion is therefore recommended.
Raging Bull is available to stream on Netflix.
