An urban nightmare!

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2002)

Is Travis Bickle the Tyler Durden of the 1970s?!? Saw Scorcese´s urban masterpiece some years ago, re-watched it today and just realized how many parallels it has to David Fincher´s "Fight Club": in both flicks two men, who are fed up with their existence and suffer from Insomnia, decide to clean society in their own way. Both become more and more radical, change their looks and start their own crusade against the existing conditions. However, as Tyler Durden sets up a force in his house, Travis Bickle becomes a one-man-army who frees a prostitute under age with gun power at the end...
This big city-fairy tale is one of the most disturbing, but also fascinating character-studies! Great Robert de Niro plays the role of the fanatic insane with an almost frightening intensity and he rules the whole film with his powerful performance! Although there are lots of great actors in the supporting roles like Jodie Foster as young prostitute, Harvey Keitel as her pimp Sport or Cybil Shepherd as Bickles unhappy love affair they all stay plain in comparison to the great lead!! However, the secret star of "Taxi Driver" is the city of New York itself with its neon lights, its porn cinemas, its dark backyards and its muddy charm! This way director Martin Scorsese has created an homage to the big apple as well as a fascinating and metaphoric trip into the human soul!!