Taxi Driver VS. Chinatown

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2005)

I just ended to see Taxi Driver, I just say that is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen, is an excellent portraying of that filthy, unsocially, vicious and decreased part of New York, with characters that used to live there and that are creating mean business, that we don't want to see, not only there, but also in my city, in fact, some of the society is identical to the poor parts of Colombia, especially when the black threw thinks to Travis and the taxi. Very psychological and suspenseful, Taxi Driver is not only a film classic, is New York. The second movie I saw form Scorsese (The first only was Gangs of New York, also a classic for me), and the first when De Niro was starting his long-living career, and Jodie Foster as well: Their performances were accurate and also their situations and conflicts. For the other hand Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, is the representative of film noir, descendant of The Maltese Falcon and Rebecca. Jake Gittes was that detective that is unhappy with the world, anyway, somehow, I saw that the screenplay was perfect: No mistake, creative and hard-boiling. Perhaps Robert Towne could be a writer for a lot of prizes. When I saw Faye Dunaway, I expected no less: She act like that femme fatale, but she doesn't begin as that, but she evolves into becoming a femme fatale, thanks of that father, daughter, sister and husband. The society of 1930s, portraying in Chinatown, was very perfect: It contains tha social life, tha customs and everything. ¡¡I expected less from that part, I deserved my surprise!! Corrupt politicians, infidel wives, lovers, criminals and anti-semitic. Perhaps many people, that already saw the movie, would say "The romantic part was incomplete: It needed to be more influential inside", or something like that, however I think different: The Film Noir contains un-sentimental love and promiscuity, and the part of love was that: It contained everything I read about the genre. Indeed Chinatown is another classic masterpiece, directed by another living legend: Roman Polanski Taxi Driver is film noir too. And is that society the one that expresses each one of the elements of film noir, and historical if we think about Vietnam War, speaking about Travis Bickle. For the other hand, it doesn't need too much for understand his mind: He hates his world, he feels he's better than anyone of them, and he thinks he is some think of hero, trying to save society form itself: He's totally insane. I recognize I'm not very specific with some elements of these two movies, but I prefer to bring you a synopsis about what you are about to find out rather than explain you the details. And i'm not a professional film critic anyway.
But I can say one critic: Academy Award should, at least, nominate this movie for more than just four Academy Award. ¡Screw them, for that and for ignoring Scorsese, especially with Raging Bull and Goodfellas! Remember the words for Mark Caldwell: They involve the AFI, but I would replace them for "Oscars": Thank you Scorsese. De Niro don't worry yourself about the AFI, their just a bunch of pompous elitist f**k's
When you go to videostore, look for these two movies, watch them and ask yourself: ¿Which one can be the Absolute Film Noir of 1970s? ¿Taxi Driver or Chinatown?