A Scorsese and DeNiro Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2008)

This movie is absolutely perfect in every way. I'm actually only 16 years old and it's incredibly easy for me to like it. Even after 32 years "Taxi Driver" is still an engrossing watchable masterpiece from start to finish. Robert DeNiro, Jodie Foster and Cybill Shepard give the performances of their careers and Marty Scorsese does an excellent job behind the camera to help symbolize the main characters isolation such as the phone conversation scene between Bickle and Betsy you notice that the camera suddenly drifts away from Bickle and shows something else but you still hear him talking. And that's what this movie's about, it's about how isolation can affect one's sanity, actions and their own perspective on things. Such as Travis' beliefs that everyone around is dirty, corrupted and weak and he isn't, he thinks he's God's only good guy and he thinks he's the only one who can clean it up, like he's the savior or something. Like I said, this guy is NUTS, completely out of his mind, and during the shootout scene at the end that's when he finally loses it. But you'll still find yourself rooting for him and hope he'll lose his loneliness and find someone.
During the first half of the movie Travis starts to date the woman Betsy which represents his attempt to break free from his solitary life and he fails miserably, showing that no matter how hard he tries he can't connect with anyone. And the second half, he focuses on saving the teenage prostitute "Easy" Iris, and that represents how he thinks he can change the world, but at the ending scene he realizes there is STILL corruption going on in the streets of New York. Meaning he fails so badly at both of his personal missions in here and that's what makes "Taxi Driver" a depressing, depressing movie.
The screenplay and the directing is terrific and I'm surprised "Taxi Driver" didn't get a nomination at the Oscars for either of these. Screenplay's great 'cause of all the regular conversations normal people have that take place in here and the memorable "You talking' to Me?" scene. And this movie showed what kind of a genius Martin Scorsese is when it comes to making movies, it's too bad he didn't win an Oscar until 30 years later for The Departed.
I recommend this for everyone and anyone. You won't be disappointed.