A film that makes you consider some questions

Rating: Null/10 (10 December 2001)

From the title of the film ¨ Taxi Driver¨, it seems the director attempted to let the audience picture their own image about a taxi driver by themselves first. Generally, taxi drivers give the public such an impression: a group in a bit lower level in society, not so knowledgeable or well-educated and perhaps interested in politics, women or gambling, just common people leading an ordinary life. As the scenario unfolded, what the director thought about taxi drivers was gradually presented. Yet, in the case of "Taxi Driver", other issues drew the viewers attention as well. We can ask some questions and find the possible answers to them. What was the leading character's response to reality after his discharge from Marine Corps? Did he get lost and fail to adapt to circumstances? How did he view and position himself? How did a work class like him interact with others around him or from other classes?
The film was presented in a narrating way and the leading character was the storyteller. This could not only shorten the distance between the movie itself and the audience but also involve the audience into the movie as if they were characters, not just a relevant third party. This transformed the audience from being passive receivers to active participants. Once viewers presume themselves to be members of a story while seeing a movie, they are more attentive to its development and try to conceive the plot at the position of the movie characters. We can say this kind of approach is liable to find an echo among the audience.
Besides, the music in this film had a smack of weirdness or a sense of uneasiness. As a matter of a fact, the music throughout the movie was uncomfortable; this was made to match the progress of the film. In particular, it was worse in the scenes when the taxi driver drove on the road and narrated. The unpleasant music spotlighted the solitude of the leading character and exposed his inner world---helpless, depressed, anxious, and also perplexed. Via the vivid performance of Robert De Niro, the leading characters affection was interpreted successfully. His cold facial expression in the cab, his tough eye contact against the male pimp and his provoking attitude toward the bodyguard grabbed the viewers attention and captured the hearts of the audience.
Furthermore, a trivial point showed the prudence of the director. When the taxi driver was on duty, he wore a working jacket. However, when he dated the pretty woman he appreciated, he was dressed in a suit to match the image and the higher status of that girl. This illustrated the leading characters self-perception and the disparity of social levels between him and that girl. Higher-classed and well educated vs. lower-classed and poorly educated. This implied the conflicts or distinctions existing in upper and lower classes. Basically, it was difficult to bridge the big gap between the two distinctive worlds. Thus, it was not hard to understand why the taxi driver didn't know how to deal with the girl for the first date and caused a failure by taking her to see a porn movie.
In addition, the director was quite sarcastic about the hypocrisy of politicians. Two scenes were arranged to oppose each other. One was the senator candidate in the drivers cab with a cold attitude; the other one was the candidate delivering a speech with enthusiasm and raising the slogan ¨We Are The People¡¨. Maybe the director attacked politicians by using this extreme contrast.
As for the change of the taxi driver by resuming physical training and having a new hairstyle, the director here would like to bring up the subject of the post traumatic stress syndrome. "Taxi Driver" was released shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, which was a nightmare for the US. The leading character, a retired marine, found himself unable to fit in society, failing to sleep or lead a normal life. That happened to lots of vets then. The description reflected this phenomenon and raised a question about how to overcome this problem. Due to the frustration about real life, the taxi driver withdrew and returned to his delusion, imagining he was still operating a special mission in order to evade reality. This movie didn't simply sell 'violence' when the driver resorted to masculine heroic behavior; it pinpointed a more important thing---when heroes lose their battlefield, how to settle them and what should be done to help them shape their mind-set again and got a balance between the roles of a tough hero and a common person. Perhaps this was what the director wanted to discuss and invited the audience to give a thought as well.