Films Are Rarely As Powerful In Depicting A Tortured and Lonely Soul

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2007)

In the early '70s, Martin Scorsese was a young director who was slowly emerging as a talent for being one of the finest directors in cinema. In 1976 Taxi Driver was released and provoked fierce controversy across the US, as well as a stunning amount critical acclaim, some naming it, "a landmark film of the 70s". Over the years it gained reputation for many things, the most obvious being the hugely iconic "you talking' to me?" and De Niro's epic performance of the lonely, Travis Bickle.
Taxi Driver follows the story of taxi driver, Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). A Vietnam veteran, struggling to accept the harsh, sleazy reality of New York slowly drifts away from reality and becomes obsessed with the idea of "wiping the scum from the city". It's a story that is structured with elegance and a slow ease. The script is memorable and flawless in its delivery, deserving the iconic status.
When I first watched Taxi Driver I was not sure what to make of it, I certainly felt it was a tour de force work, littered with excellence. Yet, I always felt something was missing and that I was one of a handful of people who felt it was nothing more than a "good film". Over the years I have re-watched Taxi Driver and it has slowly grown on me. On my fourth viewing it finally hit me that Taxi Driver is a masterpiece. Something caught me, full-on and I felt so naïve to have not realised it sooner. I've always considered Scorsese to be one of the greatest visionaries in cinema, I've always loved his films and yet, Taxi Driver was his only film that took me time to truly acknowledge.
Few films are as deep and offer so many re-watches with what is such a lurid, downbeat and disturbing subject matter. It's not easy viewing, yet it's a film that you'll be able and more importantly want to watch countless times. Few dramas are as fascinating and striking in visual style as Taxi Driver. The ability to engross you inside the mind of a mad-man and make you become the passenger in the taxi is astounding. You become apart of Travis' journey, a man plagued by insanity and yet one who holds frighteningly similar views of the revolting aspects of society. Except Travis is a man who takes it to the extreme because of the fact he has become traumatised by society and through society's transformation over the Vietnam period.
Robert De Niro is the greatest actor to ever grace cinema, he also holds the greatest performance in cinema for Raging Bull and in Taxi Driver he gives another one of his other mesmerising performances. Travis Bickle is different to many of the other characters De Niro has wonderfully portrayed other the years and prove his dynamic versatility as an actor. He pulls off his performances with ease and that's because he steps inside the shoes of his character. We slowly watch Travis Bickle's charisma change as the film progresses, we note the difference in his reactions to a situation and we also observe his manners and the differences in how he treats himself after having his rage bottled up. It's a performance that has the important depth which is a key part to the film; Taxi Driver is about as captivating as a character study gets. The amazing cast; including, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel give career highlighting performances, perfecting their on-screen skills.
Taxi Driver has a lot to say about the life we live in, giving us a portrait of some of the darkest elements of humanity. It's a film that bursts with its individual flare of film-making. The editing is sharp, clean-cut and filled with some beautifully haunting slow-motion footage. It's plagued by De Niro's poignant narration that echoes noir undertones and political insight. The cinematography is also astonishing in the way it captures the urban jungle of gritty culture. Then you have those magnificent metaphors; for example, the rain on the car windscreen to represent the washing away of guilty sins and the bubbling water to show the boiling up of suppressed anger. You've also got the tender score, mixed with a sleazy jazz ambiance which perfectly accompanies the experience. Martin Scorsese stamps his trademark of film-making style, making it impossible for another artist to plagiarise his work.
There are no doubts that Taxi Driver offers the viewer many questions and ones to study till your heart's content knowing that your perception of a film like Taxi Driver can always change. For me it's evident that Taxi Driver remains Scorsese's most difficult work for a viewer and also one of his most perfected. It's a pure and simple fact that Taxi Driver is without hesitation a true cinematic masterpiece. Few films even come close to the indisputable power and fulfilment of Taxi Driver. One of the few films that becomes a greater experience every time, it's a personal and essential experience of film art.