There is good in every person, as Taxi Driver proves

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2014)

Taxi Driver is a very simple title for such a powerful movie, the strange story of a kind but mentally unstable ex- Vietnam soldier who at first seems like the biggest psycho in town. Living in an urban area by day and driving a taxi through busy streets full of what he calls "scum of the earth", he plots in his slipping mind to tear down the neon signs and drugs and corrupt politicians in what he calls "the rain". Things only get worse when his sudden love interest, Betsy, rejects him after he awkwardly takes her to a porno movie and she sees something sinister in him.
Well, poor Travis may be falling off the deep end but he will do something good before he snaps completely. A thirteen-year-old prostitute, who calls herself "Easy" (her real name is Iris), thinks the life of a hooker is glamorous and cool, but she fails to realize that if she doesn't head back home to Pittsburgh soon, she'll be trapped in that kind of life forever. Travis "buys" her but not to do anything with but to convince her that the streets is no place for a kid. After giving her every last cent of his money to help get her home, he dedicates his own life to stopping the man who has her under his control.
One thing you've got to take note of, whether you enjoy this film or not, is the amazing acting job from all members of the cast, especially Jodie Foster, who was already acting in two other major roles that year (Echoes of a Summer and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane). And Taxi Driver proves that no matter how far gone a person is, they always have the potential to do good. Travis saved the life of a little girl and although "off" at the best of times he certainly wasn't a monster. If you're a fan of the X - Files, you might recall the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). His character was certainly corrupt but he had a difficult life and did do some good things. Just like him, Travis in Taxi Driver has a bad side, but also a good one that shines through in the end. Like the C.S.M. Travis is very mysterious and viewers never know whether he'll do good or bad, even at the ending.
A few reviews mentioned that the movie was perverse and that it had pedophilia in it (Iris). But it was all acting, there was nothing really going on, and it served a purpose, it was supposed to seem really perverted and wrong. Because it is. Despite prostitution being illegal in Canada, Vancouver still has cases all the time where girls even younger than Iris are "recruited" as prostitutes. They're usually either confused runaways, kidnapping victims or addicts. So if Canada still has this issue, it's much worse in the United States. Taxi Driver is not some sick film for pedophiles to enjoy, it's a movie about a man who has lost everything in life but has the chance to make a difference in someone elses'.
The soundtrack was great, that nostalgic 1970's stuff that today you can get really cheap at record stores because sadly it's no longer a popular genre. The plot was original, and Taxi Driver is certainly up there as one of the best 1970's - no, one of the best ever - movies around. I highly recommend it.