Not Scorsese's masterpiece, but still great (Taxi Driver (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Taxi Driver (DVD)
Date:	12/09/09 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Performances and direction

Disadvantages: Too subtle for some

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

Taxi Driver is a great film from the world's greatest director, Martin Scorsese. At face value, it seems like a simple revenge film, but this hides a far more complex narrative about alienation and a world in seeming ruins. It is a loose reworking of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's superb novel Notes from Underground, and using New York City as a backdrop, is a stunning look at modern society and the human psyche.

The film chronicles the exploits of Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro), a lonely and firmly alienated cab driver who spends his time driving around New York City and seeing nothing but decadence and debauchery. He feels that he needs to pay the scum of the city a lesson, giving birth to such famous lines as "You talkin' to me?", as Bickle stands in front of a mirror, gun poised.

The film owes a lot to two things - Scorsese's amazing direction, which gets at something deep here, and also paints a grim picture of New York City, particularly with Jodie Foster's character, who is a child prostitute, pimped out by a character played by Harvey Keitel. What the film boils down to, though, is DeNiro's astounding performance, which channels the cerebral spirit of the Underground Man, and adds a brutal, visceral punch to things with the manic look in his eyes as the film progresses, resulting in a brutal and gritty climax.

In some way, Travis embodies the way that we would all like to be - utterly unrestrained and bent on laying waste to any evil-doers. Sadly, though, things are never that easy, and Bickle has a lot to deal with if he's going to clean up the streets. He begins by trying to get Foster's character off the streets, and it's a genuinely touching relationship between the two that obviously screams "foster parent", but aside of interpretations is undeniably heart rending.

Is it oversold? Sure, slightly - it's a more subtle film but also has its fair moments of bombast. Nevertheless, it's still a wonderful exploration of a man's mind and his push to the brink. Classic cinema at its best.

Summary: A slow moving masterclass of the mind