Review of Taxi Driver (1976) by Ash-Lord — 01 Dec 2013

I have a Top 5 Movies of All Time list. It goes Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Drive, Brick, and Psycho. Or at least it used to go like that. Taxi Driver has now taken the number one spot.

Taxi Driver is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle an introverted taxi driver who is slowly driven insane by urban decay in New York. This film is often lauded as a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time. I couldn't agree more.

The acting from De Niro is mesmerizing. When I watched this movie I didn't see De Niro, I saw Travis Bickle. He's scary good. It makes me really sad to see him giving powerhouse performances in this, Raging Bull, and The King of Comedy and now starring in Little Fockers, and New Year's Eve. Jodie Foster is great in the film and also feels very natural and real. Cybill Shepherd is great as well, a bit robotic, but that's the point. The rest of the supporting cast, which includes Harvey Keitel and Peter Boyle, does a great job as well. Hell, even the extras feel realistic. There is not a single flaw in the casting or acting, it's tremendous.

The direction by Martin Scorsese is incredible, some of the best I've ever seen. The film has a very bleak and scary tone throughout and Travis' mental deterioration is clear, but doesn't feel spoon-fed. To elaborate, Travis' progression throughout the film is clear in some of his actions, but alot of it requires alot of thought as to why exactly he's going mad. The screenplay is great, it says many interesting things about society and also gives us a scary look inside the mind of this man. The cinematography is great. There are many incredible shots that will stick with you for a while. The editing is fantastic, very slick. Not too many cuts, but shots don't hold for too long, perfect. The visuals are excellent especially during the opening sequence and the last shot. Technically this film is masterful on every level.

***Heavy Spoilers:

This film impacted me alot. Not only was it incredible from a filmmaking standpoint, but it says alot about society. It might be almost 40 years old, but it still holds up remarkably well today. It's a story about isolation, destiny, and what's right and what's wrong. Travis feels disconnected from the rest of the world and feels like he'll never be able to fit in with society. When he does make an attempt to, it fails. He feels as if he was meant to be alone and anytime he tries to make a decision on his own it backfires. He is sick of all the bad things he sees on the streets, so he takes matters into his own hands and kills 3 people in the process, but also saves a young girl. The film ends on a very surprising note, having Travis being regarded as a hero. The movie ends with him taking his past love interest to here house and she seems to accept him. This scene is handled very well as it is neither sentimental or sad, it leaves it to the audience to decide. The final shot is of Travis adjusting his mirror symbolizing that he may not be completely insane anymore, but back to the way he was in the very beginning of the film. Paul Schrader (screenwriter) saying that it "could be spliced to the first frame, and the movie started all over again". So he has not changed really at all. He's a time-bomb ready to go off.

Overall: A cinematic masterpiece with phenomenal acting, great direction, pretty much everything is great.

FINAL SCORE: 10/10 CERTIFIED KICK-ASH!