Does for the people what he can't do for himself

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2012)

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver bleeds with style and substance, and features Robert De Niro in, quite possibly, his best performance. He immerses himself in the role of Travis Bickle, an honorably discharged Vietnam Marine who is an extreme loner, basking in his sorrow, despair, and utterly melancholy woe. He gets a job as a night time cab driver that will hopefully control his insomnia, and maybe give him a purpose in life. He claims early on that while other cabbies refuse to pick up some people, like prostitutes and blacks, he doesn't care who you are. He'll get you where you want to be. If only he could do the same for himself.
Early on, Bickle falls in lust with a political campaign volunteer named Betsy (Shepherd), he has been closely watching, but not stalking. He sees Betsy is crying out for purpose and love, and doesn't feel comfortable behind a desk on the phone every day, supporting some politician who probably wouldn't do the same for her. On top of vaguely balancing a respectable relationship, near the end of the film, he tries to save Iris, played by a very young Jodie Foster, a teenager involved in explicit prostitution, treated like meat by her despicable pimp and the rest of society.
To me, Taxi Driver plays like an earlier version of the underrated Michael Douglas film Falling Down. Both films involve heartbroken loners, not only contemplating their purpose in society, but are also disgusted with the arrogance and mean-spirit that plagues the world. The blatant carelessness of the well being of other people. Both De Niro and Douglas give career worthy performances, but Douglas played more of a character going over the edge, while De Niro's character strives more on subtleties.
There has been a looming debate on the film to whether or not the character of Travis Bickle is good or evil. This debate can go on for hours, because the film provides enough evidence for both sides of the argument. One could say Travis is good because he eventually sees society as a corrupt, evil place that acts on impulse and favors arrogance over honesty, and decides to take action, and one could say that Travis is an evil character because he ignores countless instances in the world and commits crime by eliminating it. I believe he is a good protagonist, with some flaws, just like many human beings. Either way, he makes for a very interesting and intriguing character in a film.
Let's talk about the smaller additions that make the film into the work of art it is. For one, the writing, by Paul Schrader who would later work with Director Martin Scorsese on The Last Temptation of Christ and Raging Bull. Schrader's polished and commendable writing is not only sly on the themes, but definitely makes the film warrant multiple viewings. Just by seeing it once, I can tell it probably won't be my last. It seems Taxi Driver has layers that will gradually be peeled off one by one with each of the following viewings, and I can see this evolving into a film that seemed pretty upfront upon the first viewing but becoming more complex later on.
The cinematography is award-worthy. Who would've thought Scorsese's next step would be a black and white film? The colors are vibrant, as well as the atmosphere, being very seamy, expressive, but also very ominous and eerie, especially in the night shots. Some scenes even allow us to experience them in detail with classical music nicely placed in the background. Some actually take place in Bickle's cab as we cruise down the street and are met with shots of the sidewalks, evoking prostitutes, pimps, and street-walkers all with a sort of sympathy and vague understanding of their hardships. It seems Scorsese wanted to breed life into those that seem like they have none, and that's where the picture comes off as wonderful. At the time, we were rarely shown the lower-end of the food chain, and now, there is a film resting on that end, wishing it would be in a higher, more respectable position, but continues to find that wish elusive and imaginary.
Am I still coherently here, or have I lost you? Let's just end this way; Taxi Driver is a fantastic blend of urban isolation and alienation and is successful at providing humanistic characteristics to those who seemingly are void of any. The film is beautifully located even in its seamiest moments, elegantly written, and carefully directed, as Scorsese breaks new ground with this dark, very deep psychological thriller that may have you resorting to something happier afterwards. The man does it again.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks, and Harvey Keitel. Directed by: Martin Scorsese.