3. Raging Bull
Raging Bull is considered by many to be the greatest film made by the Scorsese and De Niro team and with good reason. De Niro gives absolutely everything to the role of Jake LaMotta in one of the greatest and most gruelling method acting performances ever given. Much has been said about how De Niro gained and lost a substantial amount of weight for the film but what is also astounding is how well the black and white photography enhances the overall product. This is one of the main reasons Scorsese is such a brilliant filmmaker; his films are all encompassed by his vision even down to the tiniest details. The boxing scenes themselves are also some of the most brutal scenes in film history, which is to be expected from the same director who made Taxi Driver. Scorsese, again, uses the camera in a way that puts the audience right in the position of the character to such an effect the punches to LaMotta warrant a visceral reaction from the audience as if theyre the ones getting hit. Raging Bull is a perfect example of how Scorsese can take something as painful as professional boxing and turns it into a beautiful metaphor for one mans troubled life.