Wow

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2013)

New York City on summer nights has a certain feel to it, and "Taxi Driver" managed to capture the intensity of its atmosphere. De Niro does an amazing job as the disturbed Bickle, who acts irrationally and in ways which may escape the audience, but this is suitable to his character, his mindset. The perspective of being in the cab, seeing his point of view, adds to this and draws you further into the scummy side of the city. The problems Foster's character faces are still all too relevant today forty years later, and this movie is great in turning a murder into a heroic act and revealing the trafficking and exploitation of young people as the crime. Even after such an iconic movie focusing on the subject it is an issue largely ignored. Calling Bickle a hero is questionable, not only because of his actions but because of his mental state as well. He is constantly lonely and sinking into psychosis throughout, with the dark photography and despicable New York as the perfect backdrop.