This movie has one of the longest run ups of any story.

Rating: 6/10 (17 August 2015)

The problem is one of two things: either the first half of the film is meant as a setup for the 2nd half, in which case that is way too long, or the first half of the film is actually meant to be an active participant, in which case it fails. it has a cohesive structure. It has events. It has characters. It has music. But what is the point? Oftentimes it seems there isn't one and it takes a long time for something meaty to arrive. And even the movie's ending is not a full stop.
The film consists of a series of events in the life of a cab driver. Unfortunately, a lot of them are not interesting, even though on paper they should be. Scenes with little content last a good long while and then end in some awkward situation because the main character is mentally and socially unstable. Those scenes are reminiscent of movies like the Midnight Cowboy, an Oscar-awarded movie I would rather go to a dentist than watch.
The film shows the various dirt you see in a city at night, but you can probably see it better yourself if you hang around the streets or watch a documentary. There are a few situations that are interesting, but every time they are followed up by a long nothing. If the long pauses are meant to create tension or accentuate the descent into madness, they fail, creating awkwardness instead. It would appear that the director asks the viewer to do the work and fill in a lot of the blanks instead of doing the effort himself and putting in the sufficient energy.
As Taxi Driver enters its 2nd half, the cerebral content and the tension start seeping in and it gets more and more interesting, but you have to wait almost an hour to arrive at this point. It takes TWO THIRDS of the movie before Jodie Foster's character shows up. The pay-off in the 2nd half of the film feels worth it and the movie makes sense in the end, but it requires a ton of patience from the viewer. It is like a good joke that takes an hour to get to the punch line.
The acting is good as you would expect from Robbert De Niro, but it is also appropriate for the role, which means it is subdued and realistic to the point of boredom. Again, as with the story, there are good moments, most of them in the second half. The camera-work is simple but also brilliant in its simplicity. When the camera movies, there is a real sense of purpose and weight.
The ending is an interesting choice. Without spoiling too much, the problem is that mental sickness doesn't just end with a happy ending, so it is strange to see a rather positive open ending.
Bottom line, this is not a movie for me, but the quality is there if you have the patience.