A taxi ride you will never forget

Rating: 10/10 (2 October 2007)

Taxi Driver is one of my all-time favorite movies. Each time I see it, I am absolutely amazed at De Niro's genius. Perhaps no other actor can better portray this, or most other characters, at least those that require a great deal of talent and the ability to really become the character. De Niro never fails to amaze, and Taxi Driver is far from being an exception. The main protagonist of the film, Travis Bickle, is an alienated, slightly psychotic Vietnam veteran-and NYC cab driver-who being absolutely disgusted with his surroundings (at night driving a cab through all parts of the city), takes it upon himself to save a very young prostitute, Iris,( played by Jodie Foster)from all the "scum" (recurrent theme)-and the life of a prostitute, including a pimp. He also falls in love with a woman who works on a political campaign for a fictional senator, Palantine. Although he fails to win her over, he does attempt to assassinate Palantine..perhaps he wants to be a hero, or to save his love interest from what he regards as a useless environment. The recurrent theme is clear throughout the film- Bickle attempts to help those with whom he becomes obsessed, from an environment that disgusts him. Paradoxically, however, the lonely, useless character becomes regarded as a hero, for going to great lengths to save the object of his obsession (Iris). Taxi Driver takes you through the mind and reasoning of a lonely, obsessive man, and his attempts to bring justice to those who ultimately do not understand or care for him.