Taxi drives insane

Rating: 9/10 (11 September 2009)

Taxi driver it's an unsettling portrait of society from the point of view of a solitary man who's mind-world is about to take the form of a true nightmare.
The film opens with the street, with a kinda dreamy slow motion shot where a taxi appears from nowhere and then we get Travis Brickle's eyes, giving us the three elements-clues that will echo within the entire film creating multiple meanings and not to forget Travis own leitmotiv (B. Herrman's music)which builds the perfect tension reflecting his very own twisted psychology.
After watching the film, we realize that Travis isn't a man whose words we can take for granted. Was he really on Vietnam? That's a key question we have to ask ourselves, because it changes everything but what's even more important is that he actually believes he was. And he certainly has his insomnia issue which works as a perfect excuse for having him wandering around in the night taking us to places where most drivers wouldn't even bother to go. This describes him as someone who willingly wants to be drawn into, what he refers as to, hell. Now, another question pops-up into our heads, was he aware of this? Did he un-consciously get this job to be near that world? Kind of encouraging himself to take a drastic action (there lies the true importance of Foster's character).
I've always have myself thinking in Travis as a contemporary cowboy (not only because he's called like that a couple of times, also cop or killer, but he's got...believes he has a moral standard as a Sheriff would)and can't help recalling Gary Cooper in High Noon. Although Travis would be an obscure, drogued, neurotic, psychotic reflection of that image (the mirror scene and his own self destruction are a perfect example of his mind).
He feels not only lonely, but misunderstood as well, he doesn't fit on either worlds (being always on the edge). Couldn't make his relationship with Betsy work (Cybill Shepherd), losing his last chance for hope, and falling into his inevitable self-transformation (revealing his true self) of pure destruction. This probably motivated by his constant feeling of helplessness, his racism and delusions of grandeur. But what enlarges the depth of this character is his capacity for being both a hero-assassin(critic to war), he chose to kill the politic candidate and failing his attempt (in broad daylight) he resort onto a killing spree starting with (jodie foster) Iris' pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel)in plain night. This two-sides hero-assassin, plays two different parts, first, it deals with the narrative psychological part of the Storytelling showing us how his plans are frustrated and afterwards in this night-marish-realm how he achieves (his redemption)saving Iris (his princess) from the pimps (dragons) and exorcising his very own personal demons.
After this surreal, violent, and cathartic episode, the followed resolution it's presented in such an ambiguous way that it leaves us questioning everything we just witnessed...Is he dead? Did he actually survive? Is everything back to "normal" or just starting once again? Is he even out there? One of the greatest films of all times, and Scorsese's best with Raging Bull and Goodfellas.