Taxi Driver (1976) - You Talking' to Me?

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2012)

Known as one of the greatest movies ever made, Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" is one of the timeless hit movies from the 70s, and it's one of the first movies to put a mark on the career of Scorsese himself. In his second collaboration with Scorsese, Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran, now serving as a taxi driver in New York. Hallucinated by the world around him, the violence rages into his veins and is tired of what the world was offering to him. He even ends up helping a teenage prostitute, portrayed by Jodie Foster, in the process. The whole movie just focuses on his raging madness, on an unstoppable plan to murder the presidential candidate, and score back redemption. The full 113-minute running time is like a breath of fresh air. This is one of the most exciting, entertaining, and exhilarating movies ever made. Robert De Niro delivers one of the best performances of his career, and he steals the movie in every scene he is in. Jodie Foster also makes a pretty pleasant portrayal as Iris, a 12-year-old teenage prostitute. Rounding out the supporting cast is Peter Boyle, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks, and Cybill Shepherd, in a gorgeous performance as Travis' longtime crush. This casting ensemble is the ark of the entire movie. Starting out as your every-day drama, and ending as a wild and psychological thriller, "Taxi Driver" is quite a deserving motion picture. Martin Scorsese never disappoints, and he's one of the finest directors in Hollywood. He made such a good job making a movie that has everything that it wants to be. A script with some chills, a cast with some heart, unique cinematography and editing, a great soundtrack, and a thought-provoking ending. Now, there's a reason my moviegoers repeat the line, "You talking' to me?". Because this is the significant signature of one of the greatest movies ever made. "Taxi Driver", in my review, "an exciting and thrilling crime tale".