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A
raw and gritty tale of loneliness and despair set against the seedy
streets of New York City, Taxi Driver is an extremely influential
piece of cinema which stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam
veteran who takes a job as a New York taxi driver. As his attempts
to become apart of society back fire, Travis becomes even more isolated
as he decides to take out the "scum of the earth" that
fill the city once and for all. Bickle has endured as a poster child
for the alienated dregs of society. Never mind that he is a racist,
homophobic killer, the fact that he stood up to and took down the
scum of the earth has fulfilled the fantasies of many, with 'Gods
lonely man' the most popular anti-hero in cinema history.
De Niro is perfectly cast as Travis, diving head first into his
character by working as a taxi driver for several weeks, creating
from the ground up a frightening study of quiet intensity and murderous
rage, the demons inside his head never letting go. Yet it is the
little things that De Niro does that shows why he is regarded as
one of the best actors of all time, the karate stance he takes while
being forced outside by Albert Brooks' character a reminder of Travis'
training as a marine is a personal favorite of mine. And who can
forget the classic "Are you talking to me?" scene, with
Travis playing make believe in front of the mirror?
Jodie Foster is excellent as the young teenage prostitute Iris,
the one thing in Travis' life that is worth a damn. Foster was only
13 years old at the time, showing a maturity beyond her years while
giving an indication of the things to come. Scorsese regular Harvey
Keitel is also great as Iris' pimp Sport, while Cybil Sheppard and
Peter Boyle are good in minor roles.
Director Martin Scorsese uses the camera to illustrate Travis' point
of view. We see what he sees, thus we have an insight into the madness
that has gripped him as he slowly turns into an angel of death.
Yet there are times when Scorsese pushes it a little too far, with
one key scene where Travis is talking to Cybil Shepherd's character
on a payphone only for Scorsese to move the camera facing an empty
hallway reeking of empty symbolism. I also found Bernard Herrrmann's
score to be overblown and repetitive while the films ending also
left a sour taste in my mouth.
Never the less, Taxi Driver still stands as a powerful cinematic
landmark delivered by one of the finest cinematic pairings in Scorsese
and De Niro. A great film which gets better with repeated viewings.
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