When Jake LaMotta steps into a boxing ring and obliterates his opponent, he's a prizefighter. But when he treats his family and friends the same way, he's a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at ...

One example is his 1980 boxing biopic Raging Bull, which follows the rise and fall of middleweight champion Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro). Scorsese drew influence from Powell and Pressburger's ...