Taxi Driver: A Slightly Intoxicated Review That Never Did Get Finished

Taxi Driver is arguably SCorcese’s finest film. Robert Deniro excels as Travis Bickle, a man who cannot seem to connect with any person around him. His desperate attempts at romance fail miserably as he takes his date to an x-rated film on their first date. His taxi driving is theonly thing that occupies him, the only thing tyhjat truly makes him, not happy, but at least satisfied. He does not connect to the world around him, not the people, not the city, not anything. SCorceses work on this film is truly amazing. His depiction is not a film, but a character study. Travis Bickler is a real person, however disturbed. His movements and life are some thing the viewer really connects to. His frustration with his surroundings are something the viewer feels, a thing that is almost tangible. So when the movie was re-released on DVD this summer, scorcese fans rejoiced. Many would argue that Robert DeNiro would never top his performance as Travis Bickle, and that Scorcesse would never agians reach the depth of Taxi Driver. This film is the reason WHY people were angry that Scorcese’s first Oscar was for The De[parted(I which is still an excellent film). Everything about it is perfect. The filming somehow vconveysw Travis’ loneliness, with shots of empty hallways, and empty streets. Loneliness is definitely the main theme of the film. Travis does not understand why no one caN UNDERstand him. It’s a paradox that is clearly protrsyed by the director, how Travis is unable to explain himself to anyone else, and how no person can explain themselves to Travis in a way that makes snerse to him. So as Travise slowly unravels before the viewers eyes, it makes sense. It’s not a sudden change, an unexplicablew change that leaves the viewer scratching their head. It makes sense. It’[sw a slow descent, something that leaves him NEEDING to make a change. And that is why he acts out violently, he needs to make a change in his envori ment. He cannot stand to look at New York City the way it is, he feels the need to “clean it up:” as he says to a presidential candidate. SCorxese casts Travis as an everyman, as someone who everyviewer can realate to. His feelings of isolatiomn are somethinb everyone can relate to.