![]() The case for Jake LaMotta rested largely on his greater experience. LaMotta, who tipped the scale at 167 at the weigh-in, would be giving up seven pounds. The case for Billy Fox, nicknamed Blackjack Billy, rested on two factors: (1) his won-loss record as it appeared in the press and (2) the fact that he was the bigger man. The oddsmakers could not pick a winner and opened the fight “6/5 pick-‘em.” This was a compelling match-up: “LaMotta, the rugged individual from the Bronx who has never been knocked off his feet, and Fox, the flashy Negro from Philadelphia who has starched 49 out of 50 opponents in his meteoric career,” wrote the correspondent for the Associated Press who told his readers the 10-round contest would be “violent and spectacular.” The main event pitted Jake LaMotta against Billy Fox. ![]() ![]() 14, 1947, a near-capacity crowd of 18,340 crammed into Madison Square Garden for the weekly boxing show. If there is a more perfect exploration of why as men we act the way we do, then I'd love to see it, because this movie made me re-evaluate my life.75 years ago this week, on Friday, Nov. The scenes of domestic violence are not for the faint of heart, but there is really no other way to tell this story. ![]() Thelma Schoonmaker's jarring, discordant editing in these scenes also deserves special mention. The boxing scenes easily rank with the most brutal and violent moments ever put on film, shot in stark, unadorned black and white and utilizing unlikely sounds including shattering windows and animal cries to great effect. The story of how boxer Jake LaMotta watched his career and marriage crumble under the weight of his violent temper and deep-rooted misogyny is told with no punches pulled (excuse the bad pun), as Deniro (in what may be his best performance) and Scorsese unflinchingly explore what drove this man over the edge, and what ultimately may have pulled him back. ![]() Martin Scorsese is absolutely the greatest filmmaker of the last quarter century, and this film is his best. I have watched it at least ten times, and it only gets better and better with each viewing. Easily one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. ![]()
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