Only 3 Martin Scorsese Movies Are Better Than 'Raging Bull'

While shooting The Godfather Part II, the movie that would eventually earn him his first Oscar victory, Robert De Niro discovered middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta's autobiography and became fascinated by the character. He wanted to get it made into a film, so he approached his dear friend Martin Scorsese, the man who many cinephiles today would call the greatest living filmmaker. Initially, however, Scorsese turned down De Niro, since he failed to see the appeal of the story and found boxing itself awfully boring. After nearly dying from a drug overdose and being again persuaded by De Niro, however, the director finally agreed to direct Raging Bull. He finally understood boxing: The ring was the perfect metaphor for life itself. In the years since, Scorsese has referred to this tale of self-destruction and atonement as the movie that saved not only his career, but his life.