Someone's awake

Rating: 10/10 (28 March 2013)

I can't sleep.
12 hours work a day I still can't sleep.
It's late midnight, time for rest after work in the daytime, but someone can't enjoy this sweet sleep, he's tired physically of course, then was it the people and scene on the other side of the window bothering him？ Education , not much, then why do you perplex your life with something not concerned to you, making money should have suffice you, driver. Silence. He doesn't know much about welfare policy or topics under heated debate, so when Bess asking him formally or the senator seeking his advice in a condescending manner, he didn't know what to say but cramped as a fool. Though, he believes that, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and you senator, you are gonna win and become a good president.
So what's about a taxi driver's life? We transport people from one spot to another and connect them with those important to them, as Marx quoted we would be "an urban ghost". Painstaking, lower class, boring and working with loneliness. Passengers pay, and we are heading to any direction or anywhere appointed to us, even the hell provided you tip well. I am just a humble servant behind the wheels, not entitled to ask anything about why they choose their destination, I can't choose my own way, just a zombie obeying orders from my superior as Travis did in the Military, the difference is now he's serving another god, the customer in the back seat. He never made a choice of his own.
Temptation Of Sleep
This can be a monologue of a taxi driver, or such confusion applies to the modern generation. But the point of this film is that in position of a taxi driver, it is focused and amplified, he is aware and awake all the time, he silences and drives, he saw and couldn't let it go, and end up in pain and insomnia.
Wheras we could fall asleep easily. Sleep helps us forget what we shouldn't keep in mind. We ignore the dark side of the society and enjoy ourselves in the production-consumption cycle, but for some upright souls that's irresponsible. Our veteran driver witnesses the dirty city, with a good will at the beginning, he had Bess, "pure as an angel out of this filthy mess", and her campaign team stand for a political hope for the citizens especially for our driver, if elected this new administration may wash away all the unjust and foul on earth. Bess and her team is a piece of white paper, an utopia for our idealist, it represent an exit door for him, so once the door shut down by her refusal, he confused and became angry.
Bess could not help him any more, his colleague the witch couldn't help him, so as a veteran he had to rearmed hims with weapons he no longer needed, yes the guns, he thought he would never touch them in a civil society since he discharged from the Marine, so he declined other fellow driver's suggestion and insist that he didn't need one to protect himself, but now he believed he's in need of one to reestablish order and justice. If the politicians couldn't wash away the scum off the street, then he should replace them or even perish them.
A Return To Greatness
So he walked out of his taxi and reenter the society to interfere. He met the underage prostitute and mentioned that he wanted to "take actions". His ultimate goal, probably "A return to greatness?" as is the propaganda poster issued by Candidate Goodwin, what a coincidence! Goodwin means Good wins and defeats the evil on earth, in this campaign it indicates Travis on Goodwin's side against Bess and her senator candidate. Yes Travis knows little about politics and politicians like the senator were just making use of the ignorance of the public for their own profit, votes and power. Travis saw through this and was disappointed by it, so his political utopia and romantic illusion broke at the same time, he couldn't count on other's mercy to achieve "Good", if he still expect "A return to greatness", he's all alone.
Unfortunately return to greatness is an unseasonable slogan, far less popular than "We are the people" with "WE" underlined. The masses don't care greatness, they are obsessed with mediocre stuff, free choice and cheaper goods. Then for Travis, after an unsuccessful murder of the so- called leader, rescuing an underage prostitute would definitely remained to be a meaningful thing to do, it is absolutely a right thing, no doubt about it. While really? It turned out Iris was rather satisfied with her life as a prostitute, she didn't feel the need to be saved by anyone, it's her independent decision as a child, not an adult yet though, would you please mind your own business, Mr Driver?
It's also the democracy dilemma. In a democracy people believe that they can make their own choice, but was that the ultimate good? Is greatness something worth to pursue? Modernization has blurred the distinction between good and bad, the driver wanted to restore the great order, he failed, he would be called a dictator if he force someone else in the name of their good, wouldn't he? We can sleep quietly and comfortably at night, he can't, he's awake, all the time.
It's always good when someone keep awake watching and thinking when most are sleeping.