Review of Taxi Driver (1954) by Samuel H — 11 Sep 2014

I think my generation has become ridiculously desensitized. It's clear in this movie that when the killings occur you are supposed to be in utter shock. However, having seen movies like the Rambo series and "Old Boy" I found myself barley affected by the event.

Still, "Taxi Driver" was an excellent movie. Robert De Niro is fantastic. It was interesting to watch him when he was much younger, and to see just how skinny he is. Also, while many critics have described his character as crazy or even insane, I disagree.

Sure, De Niro certainly plays a strange character. But, everything that he does in the film makes sense. There is no irrational behavior. Every action is logical. With that being said he certainly becomes attached to a darker side of life.

The music plays a wonderful role in the film and I enjoyed the running theme throughout, however, as I stated early, the killing scene did not have as much effect as intended. The music played during the scene was brutal and loud, but it lasted much longer than needed and just wasn't effective to me.

The camera shots on the other had were wonderful. The rolling shot of the killing scene was fantastic. Some of the shots of the cab and of the city were just as appealing. With all of these things, however, it is clear that Martin Scorsese was still developing his style for movies and was not as crisp as some of his future works.

All in all, though, "Taxi Driver" still packs a good punch for the viewer today.