Frighteningly realistic, even after two decades.

Rating: Null/10 (14 February 1999)

I saw this film for the first time three years ago, during its 20th anniversary re-release. It is ev'rything that I imagined it would be, and so much more. De Niro made a classic character out of Travis Bickle, a man consumed by disgust of the decay and amorality that orbits him. De Niro, Scorsese, writer Paul Schrader, composer Bernard Herrmann, and cinematographer Michael Chapman pool their collective talents, and the end result is one of cinema's most realistic dramas. Like "Network", released the same year and a fellow Best Picture Oscar contender, this film is as realistic and as shocking in the current day of 1999 as it was in 1976. Don't deprive yourself of this classic.