One Of The Greatest Films Ever Made. An Excellent,Powerful And Unforgettable Masterpiece Of Cinema. Martin Scorsese And Robert De Niro At Their Best.

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2014)

Taxi Driver is one of the greatest films ever made,an excellent,powerful and unforgettable masterpiece of cinema that combines amazing direction powerful performances from Robert De Niro and a great cast,a terrific script and a fantastic score. All of those elements make Taxi Driver one my favorite movies and Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro at their best.
Set in New York City,Taxi Driver tells the story of Travis Bickle(Robert De Niro),a Vietnam veteran and Marine who drives a Taxi mostly at night and makes good money. But Travis is a loner,depressed,mentally disturbed and is sick of the disgusting things he sees on the streets with criminals,drug pushers,pimps and lowlifes so Travis decides to take the law in his own hands. While taking the law into his own hands Travis sees a young Prostitute(Jodie Foster)from pimps and decides to rescue her.
Taxi Driver is a brilliant and riveting masterpiece and instant classic from the first time you watch it where just about everything from the acting,direction and screenplay are all are perfect and flawless and was the second collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro after the amazing and underrated classic Mean Streets in 1973. Taxi Driver is also one of the main movies of the New Hollywood era of the 70s is one of the greatest films of the 1970s that years after it's release in 1976 never loses it's impact. Taxi Driver is a film that right from the very start pulls viewers into a nightmare that never lets go until the end and is a film that is dark and violent as well as very bleak and uncompromising with harsh and gritty style that is all it's own. Taxi Driver is also one of the best films about New York City and I think the depiction of the city adds to Taxi Driver's atmosphere which is grim. The city of New York in Taxi Driver is filthy and dirty showing viewers how most of New York City was during the 1970s with pimps,drug dealers,prostitutes and violence that was on the New York streets at that time. Scorsese captures the insanity of New York showing a place where nothing is cleaned up. Taxi Driver also shows the fear and paranoia of the post Vietnam,post Watergate world where some things are falling apart and there seems to be distrust and anger all around with no hope or salvation. Vigilante movies were huge during the 70s and early 1980s thanks to Death Wish and exploitation films during that period and while Taxi Driver is a vigilante movie it's much more character driven and doesn't glamorize violence. Speaking of the violence,the violence in Taxi Driver is shocking and brutal and shows violence and what it really is The screenplay by Paul Schrader is amazing,masterful and one of the best screenplays in film history with Schrader giving the script great dialog that is harsh and brooding with moments of mesmerizing depth and greatness that make the film. The main character Travis Bickle is one of the greatest,most iconic and truly unforgettable characters in movie history who is an antihero. One of the reasons Travis such a great character because we are fascinated by him at the same time disturbed by him. We are fascinated by Travis because the whole movie is seen from his point of view and we feel Bickle's isolation and the thoughts of being alone or because Travis can talk to people but not on a consistent basis and can only express himself in his diary and thoughts. We are disturbed by Travis because we don't really know if he's a hero or a villain he can be a little bit both because Bickle is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode based on his actions whether it's physical or verbal because Bickle is disturbed by his environment. The movie let's us make up our own conclusions. Travis Bickle is a classic character that you will never forget and will truly live forever,especially the classic 'you talking to me scene'. The ending of Taxi Driver is outstanding and one of best endings ever caught on film because it's a mixture of ambiguity,violence and questions that will never be answered which will cause many debates with no final conclusion. A brilliant ending to a masterful film.
The cast is terrific. Robert De Niro is excellent,powerful and gives one of the greatest acting performances of all-time in his most iconic role as Travis Bickle with De Niro being intense and believable. Jodie Foster is brilliant and fiery as Iris,a young hooker Travis wants to help. Harvey Keitel is riveting as Sport,Iris' pimp. Cybill Shepard is terrific and beautiful as Betsy,a woman and political campaign worker Travis likes. Albert Brooks is funny and memorable as Tom,a co-worker of Betsy's. Peter Boyle is fantastic as Wizard,a fellow Taxi driver that gives Travis some advice. Leonard Harris is wonderful as Charles Palantine,a politician running for President. Director Martin Scorsese is creepy as one of Travis passengers. Murray Moston(Iris' Timekeeper) Harry Northup(Doughboy),Steven Prince(Andy-Gun Salesman),Joe Spinell(Personnel Officer),Victor Argo(Melio)and Diahanne Abbott(Concession Girl)give good performances as well.
The direction by Martin Scorsese is outstanding and masterful,with Scorsese constantly moving the camera with tracking shots,great angles and close-ups as well as beautiful lighting. Amazing direction,Scorsese.
The score by Bernard Herrmann is beautiful,haunting,memorable and matches the tone of the movie perfectly. A terrific score,Herrmann.
The making-up by Dick Smith is fantastic,realistic and add to the film. RIP,Mr Smith.
In final word if you love Martin Scorsese,Robert De Niro or films in general,I highly suggest you see Taxi Driver,an excellent and powerful masterpiece of cinema that you will never forget. Highly Recommended. 10/10.