Interesting film...

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2000)

*some spoilers* This film is a good example of what Scorsese and De Niro can do when they are given good material. Acting, music, editing, all help to create an interesting story. Many scenes in the film are very strong in the way that they stay in the viewers mind long after seeing this film. I remember the, apparently authentic, scenes in the beginning of the film that show the streets and although very brief they create a sort of feeling of authenticity that sets the tone for the film. I remember reading that Scorsese had to use authentic footage because they ran out of money making the picture.
When it comes to the accuracy of the portrayal of mental illness in the film, I would like to believe that there are certainly worse efforts. The film tries to tackle the mental grey area that really isn't about sanity or psychosis but about the area between these two. I think the film puts more emphasis on the sane part of the human mind and on what that part allows. The film is far from perfect, but rather than as a documentary the film should be seen as a fictive story that is actually very close to reality.
The last 3 minutes of the film that show the "happy" ending to the story has bothered me. Rather than as reality the end after the shootout should perhaps be seen as Bickles' last thoughts because I think he dies. Why would everything be so rosy, certainly he would not be considered a hero after what he had done by any kind of court? The film is done almost entirely from the point of view of Bickle and that is what I think the ending and the film is about, the subjective experiences of this man and his life in this sometimes inhuman city.