Hard-hitting 70s urban drama.

Rating: 10/10 (9 July 2009)

Taxi Driver stars Robert Di Nero as Travis Bickell, an isolated, alienated Viet Nam vet living in NYC, during the mid-70s. Travis inhabits a world of violence, crime, and sleaze, as he makes his way through NY as a nighttime taxi driver. His personal life is empty, and he has no intimate friends, family, or romantic attachments.
Travis negotiates his life in the Big Apple as best he can, without much morale support at all. When Travis becomes acquainted with a teen-age prostitute named Iris, he's determined to save her from her low-life pimp, and get her off the streets. And Travis is willing and able to use deadly means, to accomplish this mission.
There couldn't have been a better actor to play Travis, than Di Nero. It's as if he was born to play Travis. He does a superb job, of conveying Travis's acute sense of anguish, rage, and steely determination, to rescue Iris from her sordid existence. An excellent supporting cast graces this film too; especially Jody Foster as Iris, Harvey Keitel as the vile pimp, and Peter Boyle as a fellow taxi driver, and confidante to Travis.
Taxi Driver is a magnificent, hard-hitting urban drama. The genius involved in crafting this utterly compelling film, makes it among the best movies of all time. Highly recommended, for those that like a film with deep, meaningful emotional impact.