The need for change hides in plain sight

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2016)

Even though it's a decade after the beginning of the "counterculture" movement we see in films, this one still is a representative of that, even if only a minor one. This film we have Travis, a taxi driver. And one never really thinks about it, but we've all done or said something of a private nature with a sense of security when in truth we weren't alone. So a taxi driver, for example, anyone can hail him, so he has exposure to virtually anyone from all different walks of life and belief systems. A quote from the film is, "People do anything in front of a taxi driver, I mean anything. People too cheap to rent a hotel room. People who want to embarrass you, it's like you're not even there. It's like, you know, a taxi driver doesn't even exist" , and "This city is like an open sewer. You know, it's full of filth and scum He's seen the worst of it. And he does this job everyday. He's had enough and sees a need for a change. When talking to Iris, a child prostitute he tries to save, when planning to assassinate a presidential candidate, where he says "no" to going with her somewhere, he says, "Doing something for the government". Because in hi eyes to create a better world, he is. This film's simple and thoughtful dialogue, reserve shots that interrupt speech, and close ups help tell it's story.