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Rating: 10/10 (16 November 2013)

Quite possibly the greatest character study of a man's descent into madness. "Taxi Driver" came screaming out of 1976 winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and showcasing the talents of two youths from the Bronx. Writer Paul Schrader wrote the script in less than a week, and was heavily influenced by the self narration and themes of Robert Bresson's "Pickpocket" (1959). He, De Niro and Scorsese would go on and change the face of 1970's American cinema drastically.
To those who have seen it, I think everyone can understand and connect on some level with Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro at his finest). A troubled mind isolated from the outside world, addicted to porn and "supposedly" back from the Vietnam War. Suffering insomnia and chronic pill popping, he decides that if he wanders around aimlessly at night anyway he might as well get paid for it. He takes a job as a taxi driver, working over hours and traversing all city zones. Unfortunately for Travis these kind of late hours expose himself to the "filth" of New York, that was literally at the time porno theatres, prostitution and drug dealers etc.
All this we see through his eyes, and we vaguely connect with the kind of hatred he feels (A little hypocritical because he also watches porn compulsively). After unsuccessfully trying to court political campaign volunteer Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he frequently ends up bumping into the life of Iris (Jodie Foster), a 12 year old prostitute (Her pimp is played by the enigmatic Harvey Kietel). After realising he is truly alone and unable to shake off his worries even with the advice from other taxi drivers (Amongst them acting legend Peter Boyle), Travis ultimately snaps and decides to take the law into his own hands.
What follows is a plethora of famous movie quotes, and Robert De Niro's tour-de force performance. Filled with motifs and themes what with the Mohawk haircut (Based on real accounts of soldiers after Vietnam), Travis's alleged racism and circumstances where he could have easily been hailed as public enemy no. 1 instead of a hero. Paul Schrader revealed that the script's hidden message was for Travis to try and successfully kill the father figure of the women he knows (Infamously John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate Reagan in 1981, in a bid to impress Jodie Foster after watching the movie). All of which leads to an ending that has been debatable over the years, yet a somewhat redemption at least lies for our fallen cabbie.
No other film has ever depicted New York quite like "Taxi Driver" since. It's also one of the movies that you can successfully share the characters feelings of loneliness and possibly find some kind reassurance that even Hollywood leading actors can feel sad now and then. The camera flows through the simple narrative, and Scorsese employs the right kind of close ups at the right time (The scene Martin declared the most important is where Travis grovels down the phone and the camera moves to the right, because it is to pathetic to bear). Hitchcock composer Bernard Herrmann's haunting final score that plays throughout is my all-time favourite piece of movie music, because I love Jazz and it accompanies the lit up nightlife and credit scenes beautifully (Albeit it's played a little too much throughout the movie).
Final Verdict: If I were to ever make a top favourite list, "Taxi Driver" would most definitely be in my top 5 (A little unhealthy I know). De Niro is flawless, and Director Martin Scorsese's camera work makes it all look effortless. The narrative and setting all feels self contained, but the slow progression of madness feels that anything could eventually happen. 10/10. There really isn't anything else quite like it.