Raging Bull at FACT
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Boxing, with its high-stakes violence, and tales of personal struggle is perhaps the sport that translates best to the big screen, and Raging Bull features some of the most distinctive fight scenes committed to celluloid. Cinematographer Micahel Chapman (also responsible for Taxi Driver) uses slo-mo and point-of-view shots to exhilarating effect, exaggerating the drama of the fight in such a way as to place us, not only inside of the ring, but also inside of the combatant’s heads. Scorsese’s much-loved film guides us through the career of prizefighter Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro), depicting his rise and fall as both a man, and a fighter, whilst managing to examine the destructive urges of the masculine psyche along the way.
