A chilling performance by De Niro. And Scorses dark urban masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2010)

As the trailer so often says, it's one of the coldest performances you'll ever see. Robert De Niro makes a very terrifying character that you feel could burst at any time. Director Martin Scorsese makes a truly enigmatic main character here. It is New york through a nighttime taxi driver. He sees the worlds dark side, he sees the crime and the corruption, and he's fed up with it. People are shallow and ignore the worlds dark side, and the politicians only give false hope. When he then meets a twelve year old prostitute, he decides to take matters in his own hands.
Scorses creates the perfect dark tone for the film, and De Niro completes it with his chilling performance. It's a very blunt film, which isn't afraid of showing us the world as it really is. It's extremely authentic and being a film from the 70's I admire Scorses for the tremendous research he must have done for this film. Pluss he himself have a cameo in the film, as one of the many "scum of the earth" (as De Niro calls them) that enters our taxi drivers taxi. Also it features one of Jodie Fosters first movie roles.
I think the relevance and realism of this film is well summarised in the horrible fact that a man called John Hinckley, Jr. felt so connected to the main character, that he went and attempted to assassinate president Ronald Reagan in 1981.he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. His attorney concluded his defense by playing the movie for the jury.
But staying on the subject, this film deserves nothing but a 10/10. And I regret waiting for so long to see it. I recommend this at it's highest, but it's not for the squeamish.