"Are you talking' to me?"

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2012)

An intense performance from Robert De Niro, the passionate, ingenious direction of Martin Scorsese and the philosophical, crisp screenplay by Paul Schrader blend together to create a modern masterpiece of American cinemaTAXI DRIVER.
De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a lonely Vietnam veteran who takes the graveyard profession of driving cabs around the nasty streets of New York. Driven by painkillers and insomnia, Bickle's psyche deteriorates into a state of violence by isolation and desperation. In seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Bickle sees not one but two different women: a gorgeous campaign worker (played by a flawless Cybill Shepherd) and a runaway teenage prostitute (played by a surprising Jodie Foster).
With Schrader's excellent script at their disposal, De Niro gives one of his most expressive performances ever committed to the history of celluloid. Scorsese's power of direction is on full display with his stunning camera-work and inspired editing techniques. The legendary composer Bernard Herrmann's jazzy score without doubt ranks as among the finest of his career. As being the final film he composed, Herrmann knew that if he was literally going out with a bang he really did.
Everybody already knows about Travis' "Are you talking' to me?" scene as being the best moment of the movie but I really disagree. My favorite moment of TAXI DRIVER is the scene where Travis, clutching a Magnum in his hand, watches American Bandstand while Jackson Browne's "Late for the Sky" is playing in the background. It is a remarkable scene to watch because of the contradicting irony in his state of mind.
TAXI DRIVER is probably my favorite Martin Scorsese movie of all time no question about it.