"Raging Bull has been called the greatest film of the 1980s, the greatest boxing film ever made, and one of the greatest films of all time. This volume provides a timely critical appreciation of this work. In his introduction, Kevin J. Hayes recounts how the story of Jake La Motta, the protagonist in Raging Bull, came to be made into a film. He examines the film through the oeuvre of Martin Scorsese, traces its sources, and positions it within the history of cinema. Subsequent chapters examine Raging Bull from a variety of methodological and critical perspectives and lend new insights into the work. Aimed for use in undergraduate and graduate film courses, Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" will also enhance appreciation of this seminal film for general audiences. "--Jacket.