Incredible De Niro Performance and Foreboding Atmosphere

Rating: 7/10 (7 November 2019)

I've loved listening to Rancid's Travis Bickle for the best part of 15 years, but it took me until now to watch Taxi Driver for the first time.
It's certainly one of the most powerful films I've watched and will no doubt stay with me for some time. Being powerful doesn't necessarily equate to being enjoyable to watch though - at least in my experiences. I was never bored watching this, but damn - if I wasn't depressed before this, I certainly am now.
Robert De Niro is the obvious standout here. His performance as Travis Bickle was mesmerizing and impossible to look away from. The character transformation throughout the film just added to the tension and impending sense of doom and dread.
Think I'll be having that little jazz theme stuck in my head for a long time. I also enjoyed finally seeing the classic "you lookin' at me?" scene. Young Jodie Foster was excellent too. It was interesting to see how so many films have borrowed heavily from Taxi Driver since.
Do I think it should be talked about among the greatest films of all-time? No. But it was definitely worthwhile and the definition of gritty 1970s.