Saturday, April 30, 2016

Taxi Driver (1976)

Image Source
Taxi Driver is directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Robert De Niro as a man, a taxi driver, if you will. I went into this movie having heard of it, but not really knowing the full extent of what it was about. Having seen it, I understand why so many people consider Taxi Driver one of the greatest movies ever made. The movie takes you on Travis Bickle's journey from everyman to vigilante/hero. One of the most interesting things I noticed as I watched this movie was realizing that even though I realized how disturbed Travis Bickle was, I was rooting for him the entire time. Martin Scorsese is a masterful director. Every shot in this movie gives off different feelings, and each time, I felt that was what Mr. Scorsese was aiming for. Robert De Niro is great, as he almost always is, playing Travis Bickle. He seemed socially awkward, and a little disturbed. Not once did I really, truly see Robert De Niro in this movie. I saw this character. Jodie Foster plays a teenage prostitute in this movie. This was one her early roles. The talent she come to be known for is on full display here, as she easily able to go head to head with the likes of De Niro and Harvey Keitel. The score has a very haunting, and atmospheric tone to it that serves as the perfect backdrop to this world that has been set up. I loved this movie pretty much from the opening shot right up until the last five to ten minutes. Therein lies the one little flaw I have with Taxi Driver. The very end of the movie felt a little bit tacked on to give it a happy ending, but I don't think it completely meshed with the rest of the film. Other than that, Taxi Driver is a fantastic film that I truly believe is worthy of being called the classic it is.

9 / 10   

No comments:

Post a Comment