Review of Taxi Driver (1954) by Garrett C — 29 Mar 2013

It would certainly be an axiom to say that this film is a masterpiece. I think what is most important is Travis' disgust at the way the city is, and his inability to effectively communicate or try to solve the problem.

Seeing that the problem can't be fixed by a simple politician or activism, he resorts to the only method he can picture as being effective. Of course, his hatred for the scum of the city is a reflection of his disgust in himself.

The same way he feels about New York can be applied to the way he feels about his life. Which is why at the end he wants to commit suicide, to purge not only the evil surrounding the Jodie Foster character, but his own evil.

But he is unable to do so, which I think is a sort of symbol for the fact that it's impossible to rid the world of evil. Even when you get the guts to try, you're out of ammo. The fact that he wants to save Jodie Foster but can't is very important as well.

It's essentially a failed attempt at being Jean Valjean, gaining redemption by saving somebody else from their living hell. The problem is, she's content to stay in her hell. She is surrounded by people who don't actually care for her and treat her horribly, but she's willing to stay.

We don't even know why she got there in the first place. Travis' failed attempt at saving her is just another example of the impossibility he faces of fighting against the city's corrupt and vile ways.