Taxi Driver Movie Review
"Listen, you fuckers, you screwheads. Here is a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filth, the shit. Here is a man who stood up."
-Travis Bickle
-Travis Bickle
When I thought I was done with Scorsese reviews for a while, this movie came along. A classic from everything I had heard about it, I was looking forward very much to watching this film. This 1976 Scorsese project stars Robert De Niro once again, and while Jodi Foster does play an integral part in the story, this movie is very much about Robert De Niro's character Travis Bickle. The struggles he faces in his everyday life after coming home from Vietnam are brought to life before our very eyes and the story is truly so interesting. Arguably there are many points in the film where you ask yourself where it's going or when is something actually going to happen, but if you step back and appreciate the story in front of you, the film becomes much more enjoyable.
So Travis Bickle is a Vietnam veteran who doesn't get much sleep at night and decides to become a taxi driver, mainly at night. As he drives around New York City night after night he begins to despise the society in which he lives in. He sees the rise in violence and nothing being done about it. Prostitutes of all ages on street corners being run by pimps. Travis' hatred of people begins to grow and he constantly thinks of one day standing up and doing something about it. Until that day comes, he is just your everyday New York taxi cab driver.
Other than his role in The Godfather Part II, which was not as extensive as in Taxi Driver, this may have been the oldest movie I've seen De Niro in. In my opinion De Niro has a very unique acting style with very distinguishable mannerisms, but I'm not sure they were habit yet. His performance did not seem very familiar, as great as it really was. He just looked so young and maybe Travis Bickle called for a different style of acting, but either way it was a great performance. De Niro really lets us into the mind that is Travis Bickle and it is not exactly something you want to see.
Early on Travis comes across Jodie Foster's character Iris who he witnesses being mistreated by her pimp. She is a very young girl, but Travis at the time takes some money to look the other way. As the weeks pass the rage begins to boil up inside of him. He falls for a beautiful woman named Betsy that works for a political campaign in the city. She is his only source of hope amongst the filth that populates the city, but when things don't really work out between them, he is reassured that he must stand up and do something meaningful to bring change to the world he has lived idle by.
After attempting and failing at pulling Iris out of the life she is used to living, Travis drastically alters his appearance. The Mohawk, that has become the staple of this film, represented for Travis a new beginning and the shedding of his old life. With an arsenal of handguns locked and loaded, Travis embarks to deliver justice where he sees fit, in the most epic way. I will say that a lot of this movie is exposition to the final act. You really just want to know what the end game is but De Niro's captivating performance keeps you around. And in my opinion Scorsese does not disappoint with the finale. I give Taxi Driver an 8 out 10.
So Travis Bickle is a Vietnam veteran who doesn't get much sleep at night and decides to become a taxi driver, mainly at night. As he drives around New York City night after night he begins to despise the society in which he lives in. He sees the rise in violence and nothing being done about it. Prostitutes of all ages on street corners being run by pimps. Travis' hatred of people begins to grow and he constantly thinks of one day standing up and doing something about it. Until that day comes, he is just your everyday New York taxi cab driver.
Other than his role in The Godfather Part II, which was not as extensive as in Taxi Driver, this may have been the oldest movie I've seen De Niro in. In my opinion De Niro has a very unique acting style with very distinguishable mannerisms, but I'm not sure they were habit yet. His performance did not seem very familiar, as great as it really was. He just looked so young and maybe Travis Bickle called for a different style of acting, but either way it was a great performance. De Niro really lets us into the mind that is Travis Bickle and it is not exactly something you want to see.
Early on Travis comes across Jodie Foster's character Iris who he witnesses being mistreated by her pimp. She is a very young girl, but Travis at the time takes some money to look the other way. As the weeks pass the rage begins to boil up inside of him. He falls for a beautiful woman named Betsy that works for a political campaign in the city. She is his only source of hope amongst the filth that populates the city, but when things don't really work out between them, he is reassured that he must stand up and do something meaningful to bring change to the world he has lived idle by.
After attempting and failing at pulling Iris out of the life she is used to living, Travis drastically alters his appearance. The Mohawk, that has become the staple of this film, represented for Travis a new beginning and the shedding of his old life. With an arsenal of handguns locked and loaded, Travis embarks to deliver justice where he sees fit, in the most epic way. I will say that a lot of this movie is exposition to the final act. You really just want to know what the end game is but De Niro's captivating performance keeps you around. And in my opinion Scorsese does not disappoint with the finale. I give Taxi Driver an 8 out 10.
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