Taxi Driver

Scorsese is the quintessential director: he lives and breathes movies, and quite a few have almost killed him. There's a story about the making of this film: it was going to be rated X due to it's violence. Scorsese sat in his room drinking whiskey (or some other malt liquor) and all of the big heads of Hollywood had to come visit him to convince him to not shoot the movie rating people dead. He sat there with a gun and alcohol all night. In the morning, he reduced the color of the gore by 2%, and the movie was released as R. That is the passion in this film. The steam rises from the New York streets like they're hell. The story revolves around a fuck-up named Travis Bickle. Bickle has some variation of insomnia and gets the taxi driver job so that he won't be bored. He carries around all of the trash of the city and mocks them. One day he Bickle (Robert DeNiro) notices a gorgeous blonde in a political campaign headquarters (Cybill Shepherd). He courts her, but loses her when he takes her to a porno thinking she'd have no quibbles. She does and walks out on him. He begins to see whores in the streets, sympathizing with them, especially one about 14 years old played by a young Jodie Foster. Bickle goes crazy (or if he isn't going crazy is the question of the film). He attempts to get his girl back and save the young whore. It's a pleasure to watch, even this 8th viewing of the classic. It is the best film of the 1970's. To watch this film is to watch real life. The performances are so good it's hard to call them performances, the film is alive with energy and things it wants to say. There is one scene so perfect, every time it is viewed I am in total awe. This is the kind of movie that, if I am interrupted watching it, I will probably have to stop watching it all together, for I have been brought outside of the world Scorsese has put me into. There is a certain reality in Taxi Driver, a certain prejudice that is brought to familiarity, as well as insecurity. It is an essential movie. If there was only one film that you could ever watch, this would be the one.
Taxi Driver: ★★★★