1970's Film Noir

Rating: 10/10 (11 May 2011)

The Taxi driver is a masterpiece. It has many of the film noir elements mixed with a deep social commentary. Its no wonder why this movie is so great given its pedigree (Scorsese, Sharader, De Niro, Keitel, Foster). It keeps a good pace and is very engaging. De Niro plays Travis in such a brilliant way. Although you know Travis is a weird guy, you immediately like him. You want to root for him because he doesn't like all the bad that he sees in the world. And you begin to feel for him, because he is helpless to make any change and he feels alienated by the world. Travis is by far, my favorite anti-hero.
Martin Scorsese did another fabulous job showcasing 1970's NYC which was considerably dirty and rundown at this time. The end scene, after Travis puts his finger to his head and pulls the trigger, is particularly haunting as the camera pans overhead and slowly back down the hall and into the street.
Overall, this film is a masterpiece and is a must see.