YOU talking to me? You talking to ME?

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2003)

Director Martin Scorsese uses harsh reality and memorable characters to perfection. Robert de Niro plays a slightly deranged Viet Nam vet that drives a NYC cab at night. His insomnia appears relentless and he spends a lot of his time in porno theaters. This lonesome loser does have a heart buried beneath that rough and hardened exterior. Driving his taxi allows him to see through his eyes the underbelly of the city and confirms his contempt for the "scum" all around him. So memorable is his working up to date the beautiful Cybil Shepard only to p*ss her off by taking her to a porno flick. Then trying to "rescue" a 12-year old runaway turned prostitute(Jodie Foster)and dealing with her sleazy pimp(Harvey Keitel). A stomach-churning bloodbath seems to be an unconditional cleansing of a very personal hell. Also in the cast are:Leonard Harris, Albert Brooks and Peter Boyle. This great movie is just a building block towards Scorsese's genius.