The mohawk!

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2011)

IMDb Top 250: 41 Taxi Driver. What a simple title. What do you think of when you read it? The "talkin' to me?" scene? Bickle's quietly psychotic, one sided smile? The suit? The spring-loaded gun? The mohawk? For me, it's the mohawk. There's a lot to think about in Taxi Driver, one of Martin Scorcese's best films.
Taxi Driver is a slow film, or so it seems. There's very little action except for the end, and that can be a big turn-off, especially if you've seen other Scorcese films. But after you see the complete idea, things fall into place. Then you start to like the film. I saw it six hours ago, and I like it more each minute.
I realize the second time around the plot follows two paths: Bickle's downward spiral with Betsy and his... noble spiral with Iris. And when his downward spiral doesn't quite work out, he diverts that urge to his other arc. This view made my perception of the film clearer, knowing that the two plots bounce off each other. A second viewing is really beneficial.
Many things are great. The first and foremost is Robert De Niro. I believe this is the best work I've seen him in, better than Raging Bull for sure, in my opinion. Here, he is the master of subtle. The half smile, the casual hair, it seems he's just a quiet guy, but it's much more than that. It's much more beneficial to the viewer to know he's very unstable. Not insane, just unstable. It creates edge, and tension. You feel bad for him- he's a Vietnam veteran, come back to America, living in New York. He's lonely. It's sad. I find it unfair to call him a villain, as the AFI believes. He's an anti-hero. We like him, because of our perspective. We wouldn't like to meet him. He is Taxi Driver. This is a film about Travis Bickle's descent.
New York. That's where this takes place, and that's important. Most is seen through Travis' windshield, because that's all we need to see: New York is the spawn of scum. That's what we need to believe. Also, neon lights are everywhere. What helps us along are some blurry shots, locations, and the catchiest, almost overused sax groove ever.
Many people have praised Jodie Foster, but I really can't see it. She's in maybe a half hour of the movie, despite being so key to the plot that she's on the plot summary. *Edit* I just saw the film again, and I like her much better the second time. She's sympathetic.
The last act of the film, starting with the iconic mohawk, is a cinematic masterpiece. It's a shame it took so long to get there though. I would rate this film much higher if the beginning had some kind of action, tension or intensity, to show what was to come. There's no bang in the first hour, which makes the film less enjoyable at the time. Maybe if the robbery was earlier, or if Travis had a violent customer? There's a lot about Taxi Driver I can't talk about, it has to be seen. Post-viewing, it seems much more dreamlike than you remember, and in a good way. It's the small things that complete this, the things you only remember as they happen. If only it was more engaging from the start, Taxi Driver would be in my eyes, an untouchable classic.
This is a film about the human mind, and what loneliness can do to it. *Edit* After seeing the film again, it's grown on me even more. While my score still stands, Taxi Driver is a true classic that would rank higher on my best of list than the number suggests. 8.5