Unique.

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2000)

I have seen few films with such diverse reviews as Scorsese's `Taxi Driver'. Roger Ebert has sighted it as one of his `Great Movies', yet Leonard Maltin gave it only two stars. There is a definite schism between the two critics, but I am personally also dubious in commenting on `Taxi Driver'.
The film is a complex portrait of a man's descent into violence. Travis, played by Robert De Niro, is continually exposed to the horrors of the city as a New York City cab driver. Already seriously disturbed by the war, Travis is the product of several experiences that seriously impair his view of reality. He becomes hopelessly infatuated with an angelic woman he finds in this panorama of horrors, only to be denied by her because he takes her to a dirty movie. He watches such films all the time, but because his perceptions are so skewed, he doesn't understand what is wrong with them. Later he gives a ride to an erratic man who is determined to kill his cheating wife. The man proudly tells Travis that he is going to blow his wife to pieces with a .45 Magnum. Later, when encouraged to buy a gun for protection, Travis requests a .45 Magnum, and buys every gun available to him. He becomes a soldier, ready to face the evil of New York. He works-out diligently, devises methods to draw his guns, and all the time growing farther away from reality. Armed to the teeth, he comes to the aid of a child prostitute. In the end, he lashes out at his demons with violent results.
I have heard rumors that the films premise is based on the film/novel `The Searchers'. Both films center on disturbed veterans that want to save a woman that really doesn't want to be saved. He is simply trying to save the girl from what he hates above all else.
`Taxi Driver' doesn't have a distinct plot, it's simply a character sketch of a disturbed individual; an exceptional sketch. I personally don't see a point to the film, but there's a subtle one and somehow it gets across to viewer.
`Taxi Driver' strikes me a potential disaster. The film is perplexing at times with a difficult protagonist. The script is heavy-handed and too complex to be correctly interpreted. Here's the good news: the film doesn't attempt to explain confusing points, the film just moves forward. De Niro is a godsend to the film, his exceptional acting makes his character understandable but still appropriately detached from the viewer. Martin Scorsese is exacting in his direction with the additions of excellent camera work and film editing.
The violence of the film is superfluous but compelling if the viewer can take it. `Taxi Driver' is not for everyone, but is worth a viewing. 8/10 stars.