Taxi Driver

Rating:
Summary: An American Classic
Review: Few will disagree with me when I say that Scorsese's Taxi Driver is one of the greatest films ever made. This one helped define the 70s and changed the face of American cinema. Scorsese's directing is brilliant. DeNiro has never been better, nor has Cybill Shepard (except in The Last Picture Show). This is one of Harvey Keitel's finest performances, and Jodi Foster has her best role here. The acting is superb. The cinematography was groundbreaking with the camera moves Scorsese made. Superb editing. And while Bernard Herrmann's score is dated (definitely from the 70s), it is a classic and fits this film in a way no other music ever could. Add that to the fact that Herrmann died just after finishing recording for this film. What a way to end your career. This film is superb in every way.

The dvd is a treasure as well. You get a making of documentary that lasts just over an hour, taking the place of a commentary track (and this is one of the few documentaries that can replace a commentary track). There are storyboards, the screenplay, filmographs, advertising materials, and a photo montage that is narrated and covers trivia that isn't discussed in the documentary. This is a fine edition.

This is the movie that brought Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, Jodi Foster, and Paul Schrader to forefront of the American eye.

Rating:
Summary: Masculine loneliness
Review: This movie is an excellent expose on masculine loneliness (thus, the title of my review). Scorsese, De Niro, and Paul Schrader all succesfully convey this emotion in this work; Scorsese through his ambient directing, De Niro through his dyspeptic portrayal of a man caught in an ocean of depression, and Schrader's well eluciated and eloquent script. What becomes most apparent through extended viewings of this masterpiece, is that the same loneliness that pervades Travis Bickle's life also affects that aftforementioned trio: Scorsese, De Niro, and Schrader. Through their knowledge and humanness in dealing with loneliness, they collaberated to construct a piece of art. I, being a man that has known loneliness well, can relate whole-heartedly to this movie, and seeing it presented in the optimum by the construction of this DVD (with illumanting documentarires) makes me thankful.

Rating:
Summary: God's Lonely Man
Review: Director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader have concocted a perfect movie with "Taxi Driver," which follows Robert deNiro's defining role of loner cabbie Travis Bickle. The claustrophobic sets and tight cinematography, Bernard Herrmann's curiously tasty mix of polyphony and jazz in his final score, and the ever-present foley effect of an alarm clock ticking (connoting Bickle's state of mind of mental deterioration, a human time-bomb waiting to explode) all make for a highly personal character study of this self-described "God's Lonely Man."

What's more, Scorsese's triumph is getting the viewer to actually identify and sympathise with Travis, with his sense of isolation from society, with his obsession over Cybill Shepherd, his taking the young prositute, Iris (played with uncanny spunk by a young Jodie Foster) under his wing, and his unflagging mania for vengeance against "the scum, the dogs, the filth." As he pads anonymously up and down Broadway, as he drives his taxi on rainswept streets in the wee hours of the morning, and as he sits alone in his apartment, pouring peach brandy over his Wheaties, we the viewers are along on his lonely ride and journey into fear.

Is Travis the hero, the antihero or the villain of this flick? It really doesn't matter. Travis is a man compelled, his hand forced by the rot, corruption and indifferent hatred bred on the city streets. The cesspool of crime is its logical consequence, just as much as is Travis, the loner turned lone gunman. It is fitting that in his "training" scenes he is wearing cowboy boots, for he has a score to settle. Not so much with Sport (played with abrasive wit by Harvey Keitel) and the pimps, johns and druggies that people this new urban frontier of lawlessness. No, they are merely the tangible targets of his psychotic hate; The vengeance Travis metes out with his .44 Magnum is against a world that sees him as a virtual invisible man. Just as society turned their backs on the Vietnam vet, so does the woman of his dreams, Betsy (Shepherd). Initially, Travis sees her as the last glimmer of hope for the redemption of a society gone to ruin. But, when she rebuffs and deserts him over the clumsy social faux-pas of taking her to a porno movie on a first date, society loses all meaning to him, and he exacts his vengeance on society in order to transcend her rejection of him. You can tell his fate is sealed when he sees his life "pointed in one direction....there never has been any choice for me."

The setting is modern, but what makes "Taxi Driver" into an eternal classic is its dark and tragic sense-of-life. Scorsese's movies would never be so darkly hopeless after this one; Even the gruesome "Goodfellas" had a much more lighthearted touch (if you can believe it). This would also be Bernard Herrmann's last score. In fact, he died just hours after recording the last bars of the score on a Hollywood sound stage. It is a fitting swan-song for the movies' greatest composer, and a greater loss for Hollywood than they'll ever realise.

Darker than almost all films noir, think of "Death Wish" crossed with "Othello" when you think of "Taxi Driver."

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, but was Travis Bickle supposed to be a hero?
Review: Watching Scorsese's unfailingly great "Taxi Driver" this weekend, I saw it as a haunting portrayal of a misled psychotic, who goes on a killing spree not to free the 12-year-old hooker from pimps but because he has his own misguided view of everything that's wrong with the world's morality.

That he's seen as a hero at the end of the film is a joke, a mistake made by people who think he did what he did to save Iris. Travis wasn't interested, I think, in saving Iris. He was just insane and didn't see Iris as one of the filth of humanity. He saw her as salvageable. He didn't go on the killing spree for her benefit, but her freedom was a lucky byproduct to Travis' madness.

This isn't "Death Wish"-type vengeance. Travis is insane, a villain who doesn't understand the depths of his own madness. While dating political volunteer Betsy, he's so unclear on how to go about it that he takes her to a dirty movie, buys her an album she already owns, then stalks her. He writes a manifesto about the evils of society. He's a war veteran, living an isolated life away from his parents. He's unable to sleep. He sees the world as a sick place, where he's the only normal man left. He's not a hero. He's not a tough guy. He's a basket case.

Notice how little dialogue he actually has with Iris, played incredibly by Jodie Foster, before deciding to "save" her from Sport. Iris doesn't even want him to do it. Who she is doesn't matter to Travis. What she represents matters more to Travis. He's embarking on a rampage, intending to kill lots of people (including the presidential candidate in a thwarted attempt), yet he only succeeds in killing the pimps.

He's not a hero, but society, in one of the film's best twists, makes him a little girl's savior. Betsy, at the end, forgives him without knowing the extent of his madness, and he smiles at her.

Then, he keeps driving, thinking, plotting.

This is a great, extremely bleak movie. And DeNiro's performance is pitch perfect.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as COMBAT SHOCK but really damn close
Review: I cant help but compair this film to COMBAT SHOCK. they both have the same vibe and same look to it. i love the Travis Bickle character. he wants to do good, he hates all the scum in new your and wants to clean it up. all though he isnt the model citizan either. there is some really good gore in this film when travis goes nuts, but its still not as graphic as COMBAT SHOCK. if you like this movie (like i do) you will love COMBAT SHOCK (which you can order from www.....com ). all in all this is one great film.

Rating:
Summary: Classic - Must Have for DeNiro fans
Review: Great directing and great acting. Robert Deniro is awesome. One of his best works.

Rating:
Summary: Tour de Force Film
Review: This is a great film, and a terrific example of some of the better film-making of the 1970's.

Read what others have to say, I agree. One thing I would like to add is that I particurlaly enjoyed the bonus material on this DVD, the "documentary" where they interviewed the actors, screenwriter, special effects person and the director. I found it very insightful, and being a New Yorker, appreciated the tibits of trivia as to where and how certain scenes were filmed.

A welcome addition to my small, yet selective collection.

Rating:
Summary: ARE YOU TALKING TO ME
Review: This was a pretty good movie with some strong yet cynical points about the world. Robert De Niro (my hero of actors), in one of his early roles, plays Travis Bickle, the taxi driver who grows depressed with the world around him. He sees violence and evil in people, and when he sets out to save a young prostitute, he uses violence and takes the law into his own hands. The controversy at the end is whether or not he is a hero for saving the prostitue from her pimp, or if he's a bad man for using violence to solve the problem. Now, I liked this film. I was expecting a little more though. Some things really were misleading, kind of confusing, and at times, a little bit boring. The story was dark, and some scenes seemed to have no meaning to them. But, all in all the movie isn't that bad. I don't see why it is deemed a classic though. It's not all that great. I read another review that suggested seeing it more than once in order to understand it. Maybe that's what I need to do, watch the movie again and maybe I'll enjoy it more. I enjoyed the memorable scene in which Robert De Niro utters the ever popular quote "Are you talkin' to me?" and aims a gun at the mirror. I also think it's a cool part when De Niro puts his hand over a flame. I recommend this movie for those who are interested in the early days of De Niro's career, and for those who want to see a cynical portrayal of the world through the eyes of a demented man.

Rating:
Summary: A landmark achievement in confused boredom.
Review: When exposed to crummy filmaking, one's reaction can often reveal a treasure trove of information about that person. Take for example the great "critic" boydjt "Ah-got-mah-hand-gre-nade" reaction to this acknowledged garbage. Talk about missing the boat! A person can't always help being pedestrian nor having less than adequate intelligence, but what that person can do is not open his mouth and expose himself for the imbecile he truly is. Lesson learned for Mr.FT.Bragg. Gives new meaning to "pack my chute." haw haw

One of the most overated movies of all the time.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting, dizzying American classic
Review: Director Martin Scorsese (hot off of his critical breakthrough Mean Streets) directed this film that was destined to become an all time landmark in American cinema, and announced to the world the acting genius of Robert De Niro. De Niro plays psychotic cabbie Travis Bickle; an ex-Marine who takes a job driving a taxi because he can't sleep. He is driven to be a vigilante by seeing the ceaspool the city has become, while trying to protect a young prostitute (Jodie Foster) from her pimp (Harvey Keitel). Screenwriter Paul Schrader wrote the character of Travis Bickle so vividly, and De Niro perfectly captures the essence of this psychotic man living in a world decaying around him. Peter Boyle, Cybil Sheppard, and Albert Brooks also star, and look for Scorsese in a small role as a man following his cheating wife (the exchange between him and De Niro has quite a lasting effect). DVD extras include some interviews and trailers, but I would have loved to hear a commentary from Scorsese and/or De Niro. All in all, Taxi Driver may not be for everyone, but those who have never gotten the chance to see this should consider seeing it. The final ten minutes are some of the most gripping and chilling scenes in all of American cinema.