Review of Taxi Driver (1976) by Alasdair B — 26 Mar 2015

Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors of all time. He had made several iconic films such as The Goodfellas and The Departed. He is known for his fantastic gangster mob films, and continues to inspire films made today. "Taxi Driver" is the fifth film directed by Scorsese. It stars Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster.

Travis Bickle (De Niro) s a New York taxi driver. Fed up with his low life, he applies to work as a taxi driver. Travis drives anyone and everyone where they need to go. Anyone from the man running for president to a violent criminal. Travis , like many New Yorker's during that time, is sick of his stinky corrupt city. The police won't get the job done, and politicians pretend to care when they don't. After being rejected by a beautiful girl, Travis finally snaps. He takes matters into his own hands. If the police won't handle the corruption, he will.

Robert De Niro is an extraordinary actor. Some might call him legendary. He has worked a few times with Scorsese, and he is really good in this film. His character is very off hinged. He doesn't seem quite right, and De Niro plays him in a very unsettling way. I suppose he could b considered a bit of a vigilante. He sees the horrible condition of his city and wants to put an end to corruption. His character is very well written and interesting. Jodie Foster is and always has been a great actress. She has a very small role in the film, but she dos a good job with it.

As a film, this is one of the greatest movies of all time. The direction is very strong, but what stands out to me the most is the brilliant script and jaw dropping cinematography. The script was written by Paul Schrader, and it's perfect. A great writer listens to other people's conversations so they can create natural dialogue. This film has elegant natural dialogue. It's so natural and it flows off the screen as if you were breathing in the air of New York. The camera work was done by DP Michael Chapman, who had previously collaborated with Steven Spielberg on Jaws. He's worked with Scorsese multiple times, but his work here is just astounding. The nighttime shots and framing are beautiful.

"Taxi Driver" is one of the greatest films ever made. Aside from it's interesting political context, it's more of an art film than anything. The smooth Jazz music mixed with the sound of drums give the film a classy yet unsettling feeling. Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster give good performances, the characters are interesting, the script is flawless, and the camera work is some of the best I've ever seen.