Cast: Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepard, Harvey Keitel

My Review-

Travis Bickle (De Niro) is the kind of man who has had enough of the crime ridden urbanized hell hole everyone else calls a city.  An ex-vietnam vet, he his forced to work the streets of 1976 New York City.  He works day and night to make a living, constantly prowling the streets and meeting the strangest people.  He doesn't care.  He's used to the filthiness and the only time he's really happy is when it rains.  The water cleans up all the trash on the streets according to Bickle.

This is Taxi Driver.  Directed by Martin Scorsese, this is one of his best films.  Robert De Niro's acting has never been better, and the streets have been purposely deprived of its cleanliness to give New York City's ugly side.  The most surprising thing is the score.  But ironically for the composer, Bernard Herrmann, it was soon to be his last composition as he passed away unexpectently.  Never have Scorsese's films featured a better score than Taxi Driver's.

And the loneliness portrayed by Bickle!  It is just so complete.  De Niro plays his character well, and you can feel the depression he shows on screen.  Bickle longs for someone in the world, because he feels there is nothing really left for him.  Until he "spots an angel walking on the street".  This "angel" is Tracy (Shepard), and she becomes the one for Bickle.  She is his ticket for saving him.  He's ultimately depressed, and he tries his best to please her, until a misunderstanding causes his relationship to cease.  Then his life gets even more worse for him.  He's been emotionally scarred by Tracy, and his only salvation lies in guns and knives.  He target practices with his weapons and later tries to help a prostitute in the film named Iris (Jodie Foster in an early role).  He tries convincing her to escape the life.  He wants to make a difference in a world where almost nothing counts.  Later the climax of the film, features Bickle finally taking things into his own hands as he's finally fed up with life.  The final scene features a dark and grisly Bickle at the end of his own free will, which looks very haunting as you finally see how Bickle has transgressed into someone totally new. . .

De Niro's scenes are the greatest with Tracy and also with his relationship to the weapons he buys.  The only problem was with Jodie Foster.  Although she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, I don't think it was all that convincing.  Maybe it was because she didn't share enough screen time.  I think if they had spent more time developing her character, then she would have been more believable to me.  Nonetheless, this is great film that will pull you into Bickle's world.  Its easy to see why Scorsese is one of America's greatest filmmakers.

RATING: ****1/2