The traditional rise-and-fall biopic structure serves as a vehicle for a brutally tender distillation of most of the directors favourite themes (male violence, sexual jealousy, ambition and failure). Onscreen, it features two of his favourite leading actors, Robert De Niro (whose intense physical exertions and pasta diet for the role won him an Academy Award), and Joe Pesci, as La Motta and his brother Joey respectively. Trapped in a bubble of emotional and verbal inarticulacy, Jake and Joeys constant, repetitive bickering ("Did you fuck my wife?" La Motta asks over and over again in one scene, undaunted by however many times Joey denies it), is counterpointed by Jakes eloquence in the ring, manifestly the only place where he can express himself. As the title suggests, the guys an animal, a real antihero in satin shorts.