Its definitely one of Scorsese's best films as well as one of Deniro's best roles. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for this part. Cathy Moriarty is luminous, Joe Pesci is intense, and Deniro reminded me of Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar Named Desire. Its a raw, brutish part and performance, Jake LaMotta was almost a sociopath at times! It sets a new standard for blood and violence too.The b&w cinematography is fantastic, so real and gritty.