Taxi Driver (5/5 stars)

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2006)

Synopsis: "Taxi Driver" is a character study, and oh what a character study it is. Robert DeNiro is brilliant as Travis Bickle, a NYC taxi driver, who I found to be an OK guy even though he made some stupid decisions. This is probably the crux of the film: we have a guy who tries to do the right thing, but his faults prevent him from always doing so. For example, Travis meets this new foxy lady, played by Cybill Shepard, and takes her out to see a porno for their second date. I don't believe he intentionally meant to offend her, but he does, and it costs him their relationship. It is rather unfortunate considering how happy she made him. Another reason I find Travis to be an alright guy is even after this he tries to make amends with her, but to no avail. I suppose here in lies the problem with Travis: his faults cloud his true character and this causes him to be isolated from others. Although Travis is the result of much of his loneliness I don't believe that he intentionally brings it upon himself--he just isn't very bright. Intelligence may not be Bickle's strong point, but anger and loneliness sure are--Travis becomes not only angry with himself, but angry with the world (as is exampled by his subtle racism), and in fact, he blames the world for all his troubles. Travis is tired of being lonely and ignored--Travis wants to be noticed; he wants to be somebody (wouldn't we all under the circumstances?). Therefore Bickle decides to assassinate a political figure in order to get his old girl friend's (Shepard) attention, as she was working on his campaign. However, when this plot fails to come to fruition Travis makes a last ditch effort to make something of himself--he decides to rescue a child hooker he befriended (played by a wonderful Jodie Foster) from the pimps who enslaved her. This is another reason I found Travis to be good person underneath the rough exterior: although he is tempted to sleep with the girl he doesn't, and instead tries to convince her to leave prostitution. If Travis was truly a monster he would have taken advantage of his young friend, but instead, he displays a higher moral fortitude, which shows that he is capable of being a good guy. Travis successfully frees the young hooker (by killing off the pimps) and surprisingly, he gets the attention he desires. This ending is simply incredible--it is brutally violent, and quite shocking. Although Travis does free the prostitute, we also know that he should not be considered the hero he is made out to be--after all, he freed Jodie's character for his own deranged desires of recognition and attention. "Taxi Driver" is an incredibly complicated story that demands great attention. It shows us both sides of Travis Bickle: his good side, and then his deranged crusade for self serving glory. Although I could have become angry with Travis, and hated him, I could not bring myself to do so. I felt sympathetic towards him. When I got right down to it, he was a sick and lonely man, who was incredibly desperate. This film shows us how desperate situations can create desperate people, and sometimes, these people finally snap. The other aspect of "Taxi Driver" that dazzled me was how well this film also served as a potent social commentary. The very society that drove Travis to madness, is also the society that treats him as a hero after he murders the pimps; would the public's reaction have been the same if he actually killed the political figure? It is interesting how urban life can twist a man and then twist his actions into something advantageous. Like Travis, it would seem we are more interested in end results rather than our motivations or our means of achieving those results. "Taxi Driver" is a complex film that is sure to take various viewings to decipher its multiple messages; however, I think once the viewer has completed the journey down insanity lane, he or she will be more than pleased. For the beautiful yet grungy cinematography, terrific acting, amazing story, and for the infamous "Are you talking' to me?" scene, I give "Taxi Driver": 5 out of 5 stars.
NOTE: 1/5 stars = bad 2/5 stars = OK 3/5 stars = good 4/5 stars = great 5/5 stars = classic