Taxi Driver

'Are you talking to me?' is one of the most quoted and often sent up lines in film history. I have now finally seen the film from which it came.

This is another classic film that I'm ashamed to say that I've not seen until now. I have planned to rent it on DVD but never got around to it. Now I get to see it on the big screen then this is my preferred method of seeing it. It gave me the chance to concentrate on the film better and see its beauty. The film is a beautiful study of city life and how it can degrade and bring us down. It shows how there are sensitive souls out there who just can not handle city life. When they try to fit in they fail and then take out their anger on others. Travis Bickle is such a cleverly written character. He is obviously a troubled man but it is not a terribly obvious trouble. He can come across as charming but a little bit unsettled. While that can seem hard for people to take there are some who don't mind. Largely because they are so used to ordinary people that Travis's strangeness makes him unique. Travis's decent into madness is nice and slow too. While you know it is coming as he seems a little off, you never know when it will occur. He perceives the city as an unclean and sleazy place, which Martin Scorsese brilliantly brings to life. The cinematography and editing bring out the sleazier qualities of the city. Something which I think was not to hard to do in 1976.

Robert De Niro is long regarded as one of the greatest actors who ever lived and it is really easy to see why with this film. He is simply brilliant as Travis. Even as a young man his skills are easily seen. He us backed up by an equally brilliant cast too. We do not see much of Cybill Sheperd lately and so can sometimes forget what an excellent actress she can be. Albert Brooks brings some nice comedy to the film so we are not too unsettled. Jodie Foster is wonderful as the very young girl in an adult world. You can see why Travis wants to save her.

I can easily see now why this is such a revered cinematic classic. Considering it was made by a major studio it is something of the likes we'll not see any major studio releasing today.