destructive

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2003)

i bet most people who have seen this film, first saw it when they were a teenager, younger than the 18 certificate. I saw it at the age of 15, and did odd things to my teenage life. It made me bitter, angry, judgemental, and also gave me the ability to appreciate such art in a film. We all wanted to be travis bickle. And why? the guy is a loser with a desperation to put across his hatred of life unto others. In a strange way though he is a hero, and it rubs off on the audience. Scorsese hits a home run with this film, it's film-making of the highest calibre. It just looks dirty, and seedy, you can practically smell the pollution in the air. And paul schrader's soul searching script has never been equalled. And with de niro, here in his prime, pulling off an amazing turn as mr bickle, it's hard not to see why the film has become such a classic.