Taxi Driver: Review

It's difficult to write a brief synopsis of Taxi Driver, because the plot isn't immediately apparent. In it's most basic form, Taxi Driver is about Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), a lonely taxi driver who is sick of living in such a run-down area of New York, and most of all sick of all the 'filth' that comes with living in such a place. The catalyst in his attempt at changing things is when he meets a very young girl named Iris (Jodie Foster), who is an embodiment of everything wrong with the world from his point of view; an innocent child brutalized by society. 

Taxi Driver immediately sets up a rather seedy and depressing tone, which continues for the entirety of the movie. A 30-year-old De Niro plays the unstable character of Travis to an incredibly convincing degree, along with his purposefully monotonous narration. I am personally rather enthralled by films which have a strong consistent narration, such as Clockwork Orange or Fight Club, and so Taxi Driver already has a recommendation from me solely because of this. 

Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro)

The movie isn't perfect though. There are times when it doesn't seem much is happening to progress the story, never to a boring standard such as in Scarface, but still noteworthy nonetheless. Also, not all cast members are as 'stand-out' as Robert De Niro, but nobody specifically brings the movie down.

Verdict
Taxi Driver is regarded as a classic movie by many, and I would have to say I believe it deserves this status. Although not engrossing from beginning to end, it does manage to deliver a rather gritty perspective on living in the city, something which many other films have attempted to do, but not to such a successful degree. I don't think you have to rush out and buy it now in order to watch it, but it is certainly worth checking out Taxi Driver at some point, even if solely for De Niro's famous "You talkin' to me?" monologue. 7.5/10

"All my life needed was a sense of

someplace to go."