A disturbing portrait of loneliness and obsession

Rating: 10/10 (30 August 2019)

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver is a riveting character study. A psychological masterpiece about a loner Marine veteran and disturbed cab driver, who wants to clean up the "filthy" streets of New York City. Robert De Niro gives a tour de force performance; one of the finest and most memorable in cinematic history, as the troubled Travis Bickle. Scorsese, for his part does a masterful job of putting us inside the head of Bickle. We slowly witness his paranoia and obsessions consume him, which leads to the shocking, bloody and ironic ending. The film is also the first major role for Jodie Foster, who was only a teenager at the time and is outstanding as the underage prostitute that Bickle tries to save. Taxi Driver's disturbing story is enhanced by dark cinematography of a sleazy and dirty NY and a moody score to give us one of the best works of Scorsese's career and one of the best films of the 70's.