a character study through the fragments of the human mind

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2012)

My first outing into the world of Martin Scorsese, and while now i have seen many Scorsese films, 'taxi driver' remains my favorite due to the haunting imprint it has left on me. This film is undeniably the most powerful, disconcerting and poignant character study of the fragility of the human condition from the forms of alienation in an urbanized landscape.
The plot examines a veteran from the Vietnam war and his attempts to find solace in the Saviour of a prostitute.
The most notable area of where 'taxi driver' succeeds is from the sublime direction of martin Scorsese, who establishes the camera as a window into Travis subconscious, which allows Scorsese to convey Travis emotions visual rather than aurally. For instance, the harrowing scene when Travis meets the gun dealer, the camera establishes Travis gaze as he positions the gun towards the window and takes aim at society, which evokes his thoughts of "Some day a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets". Also the sequence where wizard is creating small talk and the camera is again used in POV style to establish Travis view which is fixated on a glass of water which symbolically highlights Travis emotions. Scorsese also establishes his audacious direction with some great innovative, authentic shots, for instance when Travis is talking into an endless conversation on the phone and the camera slowly moves from Travis position on the phone to the emptiness of the hallway. This shot (imo) is audacious film-making at it's best, Scorsese boldness in breaking the traditional camera movements to create a brilliant ambiguous sequence.
Besides Scorsese sublime direction, Robert De niro is riveting as the tormented Travis bickle, conveying effortlessly the parallel dimensions of a Psychotic but still capable of demanding sympathy, for instance when Travis attempts to find a connection in talking to the adult-theater clerk and his oblivious nature in taking Betsy to the theater, he is surrounded by alienation to the extent that he can't access the proper methods of socializing.
Furthermore Bernard Hermann score is another technique which broadens the window for the audiences to enter Travis psychological state, the music conveys a sense of poignancy while simultaneously being disturbing.
Like '2001' the ending of 'taxi driver' is brilliantly ambiguous, offering audience a divided opinion, was it just a dream or an ironic statement on the nature of the media?, either way you interpreted the ending, the mood is still disconcerting.
Martin Scorsese 'taxi driver' is a disturbing tale of alienation in a nightmarish urbanized landscape. The film will be forever encapsulated into the 'all-time greats' because simply there is no other film that captures a character study of the fragments of the human mind as powerful as this.