A Cathartic Experience

Rating: 9/10 (7 July 2010)

Taxi driver is one of the most inspiring movie i have ever watched.
The movie is about Travis Bickle, a lonely man in NYC who takes up a job as a taxi driver which would keep him occupied with some work for most of the day. he has no regrets working 12 hours a day and working at night. He seems a ordinary man but deep inside him there is something special that very few people have it in them. And this something only comes from deep understanding of life. There is a famous quote by Franz Kafka which is absolutely relevant to character of Travis Bickle. It says "First sign of beginning of understanding is the wish to die."
Travis drives around in NYC at night. He is moved by various anti-social activities (especaily prostitution) that he witnesses. he could not stand the misery of people who are victims of this filthy crime. when a presidential candidate(Palantine) asks Travis "What you dislike the most about this country." Travis says "i want to get ride of all these dirt on the streets. You know what i mean by dirt." Travis is suffering from insomnia as these thoughts are constantly haunting him. One night Iris, a little girl gets into his cab trying to escape a pimp but before Travis could run her away she is caught and taken back to their filthy craven. He is very upset with all this around him.
That is when he says. "Listen all ya people. here is a man who can no more take all this scum." He decides to get ride of these impurities and buys himself several guns. He request Iris to go home, study and live a good life. He decides to save her by sacrificing his own life. He doesn't care about his life. He seems to believe that, it is better to die than to live among all this filth. He is delirious most of the time. He gets a Mohawk hair cut and one night goes to the brothel where Iris works. he shoots everyone there and insists Iris to run away.
here is an unforgettable scene of the movie. He is seated on a sofa, blood all over his body and clothes. Corpses lying all over the place. Iris weeping in a corner. He attempts to kill himself but runs out of bullets. Police has arrived and he at snails pace lifts his bloodied finger to his head and mimics to blow his head off.
He becomes a hero and receives admiration from all including Iris's parents who are happy to have her home.
Everything about this movie is good. The acting by De Niro adds verisimilitude to Travis's character. Everything is put in place very subtly and not flamboyantly as in movies of 21st century. However, I am not happy about the music. It could have been little more prominent with some psychedelic touch. So i rate it as 9 out of 10.