The story follows Travis Bickle, a lonely taxi driver in New York City with some pretty big mental and social issues. He makes a lot of small talk and he struggles connecting with people throughout the film. He plots to murder a presidential candidate known as Palantine and a guy who has a sexual relationship with an underage prostitute. He also grows fond of a woman that works with, but he struggles making a good impression.
Taxi Driver is a movie that I have always wanted to watch, but I have been a bit nervous about how I would view the film. However, I really wanted to start watching a couple more really acclaimed films before I go back to school. This seemed like the perfect film to watch on a night like this. Little did I know how much I would fall in love with the film in every scene.
I am just going to say it. Taxi Driver is one of the best movies that I have watched since I have been in quarantine and I have seen a bunch of films since my school closed. Seriously, it is in my top 10 at least. I cannot remember the last time I watched a drama where I was so engrossed into the story and world of a film. It is one of the few films that truly sucked me into a new world that made me anxious about what was going to happen next. Every scene in this film is spectacular. I cannot really think of a favorite scene. It is hard to think about where to start with this movie.
Taxi Driver is one of those films that has multiple layers to the story. It is about the violence that goes on the street, it is about insanity, it has some themes about how underage prostitution is absolutely immoral and it is ultimately a character study. The film is about Travis Bickle and how he deals with everything surrounding him. It is about his descent to madness that drives his actions and makes him view the world the way he views it. Travis is one of the most unpredictable characters I have ever seen in a film. I never knew what he would do next in any scene that he is in. That is one of the reasons why I found the film to be so tense. He is a pretty morally grey character and one of best ones I have seen. Yes, he does some creepy things, but he also does some good deeds throughout the film. His friendship with Iris is a great example of his good side. He is a great protagonist that I really did not know whether to root for or root against. His motivations are terrific as well.
Robert De Niro's performance as Travis Bickle is nothing short of phenomenal. Every single line of dialogue and every expression he gives lands flawlessly. It is one of the best performances I have ever seen. A standout scene is one where Bickle is in the cab with another man who is just threatening to murder his own wife. I could feel De Niro's expression of fear and discomfort during that scene. He is playing as a character who has gone pretty crazy, but here, it looks like he is going have a heart attack hearing the way this guy is talking. It is one of the best acted scenes I have ever seen. De Niro's performance is absolutely spectacular.
As for the rest of the cast, Jodie Foster plays as Iris and she is terrific in the role. She is a standout with her performance and the breakfast scene is a perfect example of it. She was just so natural in the entire scene. Nothing from her performance felt melodramatic or forced. It is even more impressive considering how young Foster was during the making of this film. Harvey Keitel plays as Sport, the antagonist I think? He was fantastic in the film and he was probably one of the most despicable villains I have ever seen in a film. It is a bit hard to notice at first, but it truly shows the more you think about his grotesque actions. Keitel played this character perfectly. Cybil Shepherd plays as Betsy and she only had a couple of scenes, but they did not waste a single moment with her. Shepherd delivers a great performance and Betsy was surprisingly good character. She plays a pretty significant role on showing what Travis' character and personality is like. The rest of the supporting cast is amazing too. All of the supporting characters are significant to the plot because they all have an affect on Travis in some way.
The tone and pacing are both perfect. This film is really dark and there is pretty much no humor to speak of. It works with the story because there is really nothing that could be funny in here. Some stories in film work even better without any humor. Not many, but there are a couple of them out there. Taxi Driver is one of those films. The film is about awkwardness and tension and the tone delivers on that. The movie is perfectly paced. It is neither too fast nor too slow. It allows the story and characters to develop accordingly and it builds on the tension of the climax with each scene at such a smooth rate. This movie has some of the most flawless pacing I have ever scene. It is a good reason why the film is so engaging.
The cinematography is stunning and it holds up beautifully. There are so many impressive shots in this film including an impossible shot that took me by complete surprise. More than anything though, the cinematography is great because it captures that mysterious, scary tone of the city at night. Every scene that takes place in the cab at night is haunting to look at. The dull colors make the lights stand out even more. Speaking of lighting, the lighting is very creative as well. It is easy to see all of the conversation scenes that take place at night as well as any action that takes place. The lighting in the cab scenes are particularly superb and unique. The cinematography is amazing and just about every shot is interesting to look at.
The climax is one of the most intense and insane that I have ever scene. It is brutal to watch as it is nail-biting. It is also very well-shot and edited. It was never confusing. It was just full of tension and blood. I legitimately did not know how this film would end and the climax surprised me as well. The soundtrack is terrific. Every musical piece fits the song perfectly. There is some catchy jazz music throughout, but the best piece of music is the moment after the climax where you hear this eerie piece of music. It is one of the most haunting bits of music I have ever heard. It made me feel like I was walking in the aftermath of the bloodbath that took place in the climax. Again, it is weird, but music can make a movie feel more like an experience sometimes and the soundtrack of this film did just that. The credits song was great too.
In a nutshell, I liked Taxi Driver. In fact, I liked it more than I ever thought I would. It is so different from anything that I have ever seen. Not only those it bring some thought-provoking ideas to the table, but it also has one of the best and most interesting stories in a film. This is the first Martin Scorsese film that I watched and I did not know if I would like his films or not. Now, I want to watch all of his films after this. Taxi Driver is one of the best movies I have ever seen and it might be a new favorite for me.
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