On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.

Robert De Niro is Travis Bickle, a former Marine and now Taxi Driver in the cities of New York. Travis is disgusted with the city, and only hopes that "a rain will come to wash the scum off the streets." The film is told from his perspective, and while he obviously doesn't know it, we do: he's quite mad...very mad. After dysfunctional relationships and an inability to communicate with his fellow human being, Travis devotes himself to "rescuing" a teenage prostitute (Jodie Foster) from her pimp (Harvey Keitel).

From director Martin Scorsese, "Taxi Driver" is an icon of 1970s film. Travis Bickle is one of the most memorable characters in film, and his transformation from likable, but socially dysfunctional man to an obsessed vigilante is very frightening. During one scene, Travis is rigging himself with weaponry in front of a mirror. He pulls out a pistol and points it directly at his reflection.

"You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here," he says. It is during this point, that we realize how great of a film "Taxi Driver" truly is. It's the story of a man who sees himself as the only good person and the world and it's his responsibility to dispose of evil. DeNiro is captivating in the role.

Despite DeNiro's memorability, the real star here is Scorsese. He presents the city of New York as Travis sees it: a dark, disgusting place populated with hookers, murderers, and drug dealers. His camera presents a story about a horrible person and makes it into a masterpiece. The script is clever, and it is used to the most effect.

"Taxi Driver" is one of the greatest films ever made. It's a film so rich in detail that it can be watched again and again, and you will notice something new every time.

© Written by Jacob Hall

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - A Richard Propes - A- Jacob Hall - A

TC Candler's Comment

n/a

Richard Propes' Comment

I've always struggled with "Taxi Driver." It is definitely not a film I enjoy viewing...I've really tried to get myself to that point...I get into serious films with serious topics and serious themes...I can even get into well made offensive films...but, for some reason, this film has just never connected with me. I respect it immensely. The script by Paul Schrader is nothing short of powerful, though it's not always perfectly executed by Martin Scorsese. Keeping in mind that I was a 12 year old non-whore when this film was released in 1977, I have to say that I continue to be surprised by Jodie Foster's Oscar nomination here...for a young actress, she did an admirable job but surrounded by incredible performances by Robert DeNiro, Peter Boyle and Harvey Keitel she seemed to not quite get what was going on around her. It just never balanced out for me, and her performance hasn't held up for me over the years. It seems like each time I view this film I like her performance even less. Speaking of DeNiro, this is certainly a classic performance for him as Travis Bickle. My other quibble would be with Albert Brooks, who certainly provides some levity to the film but really seems to serve no other purpose. I question his necessity, even though I'm a major Brooks fan and he does what he can here. Still, he seems largely to be a throw away character. This film hasn't crept into my "Top 100"...it's close, but it's a throw away character and a bland 12 year old whore away from my list of favorites.