A difficult film to review...

Rating: 10/10 (9 July 2004)

What can you say about "Taxi Driver" that hasn't been said already? It's phenomenal. I'm not a fan of Scorsese's other directorial efforts, really--nor am I a big DeNiro fan--but everything about this film is absolutely, unquestionably RIGHT. So many people seem to be confused when they watch this movie: they either root for Travis Bickle when he finally loses his marbles, or they feel that "Taxi Driver" tries to justify racism and misogyny. I don't think there's any need to go to such extremes. Yes, there are elements of racism and misogyny here, but the film doesn't promote those attitudes. And as for Travis being the nominal "hero" of the film, I don't believe that this was Paul Schrader's intention, either. There ARE no heroes; ultimately, this is just the very grim story of a marginalized man who loses what little control he had to begin with. This is why "Taxi Driver" appeals to people, I believe, but it's also why the film is routinely misinterpreted. As Schrader has said, this is a film about alienation. "Taxi Driver" tells an interesting, engaging human story and that's what makes it great--not the social commentary, or what's viewed as such.