Taxi Driver - Review

"You talkin' to me?" – A review of Taxi Driver. 

You're always in for a treat when Martin Scorsese directs a film. Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street and Shutter Island all came from the legendary director, so I was excited when I finally sat down to watch Taxi Driver – and I was far from disappointed.

Taxi Driver, released in 1976, follows Travis Bickle, a man who has survived Vietnam and now lives with chronic insomnia. Taking a night shift as a taxi driver in New York City, Travis becomes increasingly disgusted by the levels of crime and decay he witnesses night after night until finally, his mental state takes him down a dark road of violence, failed romance and vigilantism.

This film takes a long, hard look at the dark side of city life. New York comes across as violent, bloody and decaying, full of criminals, drug dealers and pimps, leading him to take matters into his own hands. It doesn't shy away from violence; rather it somewhat ironically glorifies it, as Travis' actions, violent as they are, have some positive effects. This is one of the moral questions of the film; Travis is confused by the ethics of normal, everyday life after being traumatized by the war, and when his violence leads to saving people, it's not surprising that his disillusionment from civilian life is impacted.

I also really enjoy the way that Taxi Driver examines obsession and toxic masculinity. We see a man who desperately craves connection but is completely unable to form genuine relationships, and this leads to destructive fixations on people. The psychology behind this is sad, but it's also absolutely fascinating.

The cinematography is worth noting too. The shots of New York City from the rainy taxi windshield, the saturated, neon reds and blues of the city and the disorientating camera angles all help to create the hellish feel of the city, and they help you feel the disorientated state that Travis has found himself in.

Robert De Niro is, unsurprisingly, phenomenal in this film. There's never a doubt in your mind that the character is unstable – he comes across as incredibly intense, and due to the method acting De Niro implemented, some of his best scenes, such as the infamous "you talkin' to me?" scene are completely unscripted and improvised. De Niro truly captured the isolation, alienation and psychosis not just of the character, but of the era as a whole.

Jodie Foster is also absolutely amazing in this film. Aged only 12 years old, she delivered a mature and nuanced performance as a young sex worker caught in a dangerous criminal world, and her performance quite rightly earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

These are just two stand out performances though; Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks and Peter Boyle all also deliver nuanced performances which help to make the world in which they inhibit take on a chilling realism.

This film really surprised me. I was expecting to enjoy it, but I didn't expect to love it. It's genuinely one of the best takes on the genre I've seen, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thrilling plot, clever cinematography and absolutely incredible performances.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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