Whilst Joe Pesci later became famous for his performances as sadistic sociopaths, this was one his early performances, but yet, it’s one of his best. It’s even more impressive when you take into account that this is the first film that she had appeared in, and was nominated for an Oscar for her troubles. But Moriarty manages to give depth to a character that even that most hardened brute would feel sympathy towards. Moriarty’s character takes a torrent of abuse from Jake throughout and could easily have the viewer screaming, “Why don’t you leave him?” at the television at several parts of the film.

The black and white cinematography succeeds in not only making the film look more like the period in which it is set (the 1940s and 1950s), but when it is juxtaposed with home movie footage of the La Motta family (the actors, not the real family), it somehow makes the film feel more real.Ĭomplementing De Niro’s central performance are some very strong performances, namely those of Cathy Moriarty as Jake’s wife, Vicki La Motta, and Joe Pesci as Jake’s bother, Joey. All three films feature Robert De Niro at his most terrifying, but Raging Bull is the most frightening, because it is based on a true story. The film was made towards the end of what I like to call Scorsese’s ‘Angry Young Men’ period, which several of his films throughout the 1970s would belong to, particularly Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull.

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