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A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out, attempting to save a teenage prostitute in the process.
Robert De Niro: Travis Bickle
Quite simply, Taxi Driver is one of the best films ever made. This is one of those films that you do not get tired of seeing and every time you watch it you realize a little detail that you have not seen before. Excellent actors, a good director, an impressive soundtrack and a real story are the main appeals of this film.
Taxi Driver is about loneliness, about the isolation of a man in a society full of scum. His objective is to finish with the scum of the streets. The story uses a taxi driver as a metaphor of loneliness and it has definitions of irony because we can see that a city which is full of people can be the most lonely place for a man to be. The long nights in the city, the night environment full of whores, junkies, pimps and thieves are the main elements of the world in which Travis Bickle lives. Travis is a misunderstood guy who is seeking desperately for some kind of companionship because as he says ''Loneliness has followed me all my life, everywhere'' but at the same time he seems not to do anything to avoid his situation and it is seen when he goes with Betsy(Cybill Shepherd) to a porn cinema. At the end of Taxi Driver the character makes real his most violent visages and dark recesses of fantasy, with a burning scope of various soldiers from fighting in Vietnam, and he behaves like this because of his loneliness, his alienation and because he does not find any purpose to his seemingly empty life. The violent behaviour evolves and shapes Travis into a hero, although he had killed many people and he could on a whim or for a purpose resort to doing it again. Although he acts with an extreme violence the spectator understand him and the reasons why he acts that way. The soundtrack of the film, which is composed by Bernard Herrmann, inspires that same kind of loneliness and isolation, sometimes mistyfying into an absolutely haunting horror film genre. This music and the slow camera showing the streets all help to introduce the spectator into the world of Travis, to know what he is thinking and to know what he is doing, it's beautiful.
So put into an equation of sorts, Martin Scorsese wisely teams up with one of the most intense actors of the time to create a masterpiece of urban alienation. Paul Schrader's magnificent script paints a portrait of loneliness in the largest city of the world. Travis never once enters into a meaningful relationship with any character anywhere in the material given. He is the most hopelessly alone person in celluloid.
''Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man... June 8th. My life has taken another turn again. The days can go on with regularity over and over, one day indistinguishable from the next. A long continuous chain. Then suddenly, there is a change.''
He is alone with his thoughts, and his thoughts are dark ones. The film fools you on a first viewing. Is Travis an endearing eccentric? Sure, he's odd, but he's so polite, and he's got an enduring sense of humour. His affection for Betsy is also pleasant and kind. But on more viewings, you see it for what it is. The audience comes to see Travis's psychology gradually, but there's actually far less development than one might assess. When he talks about cleaning up the city, the repeat viewer knows he doesn't mean some sort of revolutionary change. This is less a film about a character in development as it is a kind of snapshot into the psyche. To be sure, it takes the stimulus to provoke the response, but does that imply some kind of central change in the character?
Tremendous supporting roles are brought to life through vivid performances by Keitel and Foster especially. Shepard's character, Betsy, is little more than a foil to highlight Travis's utter alienation from society, but she is still impeccably portrayed. With only two scenes that don't center on Travis, it is unavoidably De Niro's show. The life with which the supporting cast imbues their characters is a credit to themselves, and to the director's willingness to let the film develop from the intersection of diverse ideas and approaches. What would the plot lose by eliminating the Albert Brooks character (Tom)? Nothing at all. He makes almost no impact on Travis's life, which is where the plot lives. But his inclusion makes the film as a whole much richer and fuller.
''You get a job. You become the job.''
What makes the film even better is De Niro showing the type of form that makes his recent form such a major disappointment. He is outstanding as he moves Travis from being relatively normal to being eaten up from the inside out. His eventual implosion is impressive but it is only as impressive as the gradual slide he depicts over the course of the film. Although he dominates it, others impress as well. Foster stands out in a small role, while Keitel makes a good impression as the pimp. Shepherd is not quite as good but her character was not as well written as the others so it isn't all down to her. Regardless, the film belongs to De Niro and although the quotable scenes are the ones that are remembered it is in the quieter moments where he excels and shows genuine talent and understanding.
Overall an impressive and morally depressing film that deserves its place in cinematic history. The portrayal of a city and a man slipping into moral insanity is convincing and engaging and it shows how well anyone can spiral into modern madness and the effects of a moral void in certain or all levels of Western society. Scorsese directs as a master craftsman, despite this being at an early stage in his career and De Niro is chillingly effective as he simply dominates the film in quiet moments and quotable moments alike.
Vietnam war veteran Travis Bickle is a lonely, lonely man and I cannot stress this point enough. His mind travels through sleepless nights , but he then takes a job as a taxi driver in New York City. As DeNiro's Travis drives around at night as Bernard Herrmann's beautiful and subtle score plays, you can't help but just stare and gaze at the wonderful cinematography which puts you in the spot as if you are there.
''I think someone should just take this city and just... just flush it down the fuckin' toilet.''
A true milestone and blessing for 70s American Cinema. In essence, one of the greatest achievements ever put into Modern Cinema, a modern Classic. Martin Scorsese's direction is just absolutely superb, he makes it unique and wonderful. Herrmann's score, in which he shortly died after completing the score is by far, one of the best. He was passionate and let his soul pour out here. Paul Schrader's career-defining script is just widely unique and fantastic. So many memorable quotes, incredibly unforgettable. From "You talking' to me?" to "Taking me to a place like this is about as exciting as saying to me "Let's f*ck." Said to be semi-autobiographical of Schrader (paranoia, obsession and porn), Schrader sang his whole heart out as he wrote this masterful creation.
Disturbing, dark, subtle... So many words to describe the wonderfulness that is of Taxi Driver. Beautiful music, the amazing cinematography that makes you feel as if you are there. The acting from our leading man, Robert DeNiro is honest, compelling, dangerous and wonderfully structured. This movie will change your life. Scorsese's masterpiece. Incredibly thought-provoking. As we ground upon the final act, Taxi Driver just leaves you standing still...
''Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man.''
10/10
