Beautifully disturbing well crafted film

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2020)

Taxi Driver is one of those movies that stay with you. I first saw this movie approximately 15 years ago, then saw it again last night. Some of the storylines in this movie are still daring even by today's standards. Taxi Driver's DNA can be found all over the productions coming out of Hollywood since it's release in 1975 to present day.
Visually, Taxi Driver has that great saturated color that is seen in films from the middle 1970's, but still has a gritty texture. This helps give the whole movie a slightly hypnotic feel that really works as you see the character of Travis Bickle descend into madness. The scenes of Travis driving around at night in his cab really showcase this hypnotic feel while also symbolizing the state of mind of insomniac Travis Bickle. One brief shot near the beginning of the movie simply shows the dark pavement of the road with mottled reflections of color from the lights of the city as the taxi moves about New York City in the night.
The performances of everyone in the cast are excellent in this movie, and definitely hint at the great films that Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel would go on to make later in their careers. And of course the same goes for director Martin Scorsese.
Something interesting to note for fans of 2019's Joker: if you watch both of these films, it becomes evident that Joker "borrows" very heavily from Taxi Driver. Joker director Todd Phillips is obviously heavily influenced by Taxi Driver and used most of the elements of Taxi Driver's storyline in Joker. Robert De Niro also has a role in Joker.
This is an excellent film recommended for viewers who appreciate a movie that reveals itself in layers.