I kept forgetting this movie was made in 1980. It's set from 1941 through 1964 and it is a beautiful representation of the period. Everything in it is perfect. I had never seen it before and I was blown away. Now I know why so many people put it on their top 10 lists. Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) is an up-and-coming boxer looking for the Middleweight Championship title. His brother Joe (Joe Pesci) helps him train, mostly by being a punching bag. But then, the world is Jake LaMotta's punching bag. This guy is an asshole. He doesn't want to be beholden to the Mob in order to get a shot at the title, which is admirable, but he's such a jerk it makes you want to root for organized crime. He's horrible to his wife (Cathy Moriarty), obsessively jealous, and he doesn't mind hitting a broad a time or two. This is not a good man.
This is, however, an amazing film. I don't even like boxing or biopics for the most part but this is the gold standard. Scorsese's camera work is gorgeous, especially the pieces filmed through the heat haze in the ring. That made my little heart go pitter-pat. De Niro takes a completely unlovable character and turns him into a tragic anti-hero, taking him through the highest highs down to the lowest depths. It is unflinching in its violence yet still manages to be lyrical in its beauty.
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