One of the biggest classics

Rating: 9/10 (17 October 2009)

"Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man."
From the opening shots with Bernard Herrmann's elegant but menacing score, to the haunting climax, Taxi Driver is one of the biggest classics of cinema (and deservedly so). It is the kind of film where everything comes together into something special; the performances, the direction and the score.
One of Taxi Driver's strengths is how many themes it conveys. It is an anti-war film, a film about a man not fitting into society and consequently descending into madness, and foremost a fantastic depiction of New York City. It is a decadent place, full of prostitution, crime and misery. However, deep inside the film there is also a certain love for the city. The audience relates to the main character Travis Bickle (an outstanding Robert DeNiro) in much the same way; he is a miserable person but we can't help but like him.
The cinematography isn't spectacular per se; it is rather low-key, but full of visual metaphors, like when the camera moves from Travis Bickle to the corridor beside him during an awkward telephone conversation with Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), as if it is too painful to watch, or when we see a close-up of a pill being dropped into water, representing the violence emerging from under the surface.
DeNiro deserves all the praise he has received for his performance, but the one who impresses me the most is thirteen year old Jodie Foster, who, as far as I know, has never been better since. She portrays a young prostitute with such conviction and balance between experience from life on the streets, vulnerability and childishness that you for a moment forget that you are watching an actress.
Finally, so much has been said about Taxi Driver that I have very little to add, but it is a strong, poignant and at times disturbing film that everyone should see and no one will forget.