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Review by R. MAGUIRE for Taxi Driver (2 Disc Special Edition) [1976] [DVD]
Rating:
My mum lent me this film when I was bored one day, I hadn’t seen it before. I was adamante of watching a film made in the 70’s (a silly but corrected mistake)but it blew me away on so many levels. Martin Scorsece’s portrayal of an ex-Vietnam soldier trying to adjust to every day life is superb. He is throwing into a society that completely sickens him, he suffers from insomnia and can’t sleep so he becomes a Taxi Driver. The brilliant thing about this movie is that you can see the mental decomposition of Travis Bickle’s character through a series of events. Through I believe no fault of his own Travis messes up a possible relationship with Betsy. (Cybill Shephard) He find’s something to live for through Iris(Jodie Foster)a 13 year old prostitute. You understand why he does what he does at the end of the film. At some point in everyone’s life we get really lonely, Travis Bickle is going through this stage, and you recognise it instantly. I have to admit the most chilling thing about Travis Bickkle’s character is that he pauses during conversations! Martin Scorcese’s use of cinematography and his filming style in this film is superb! I dont’ want to go on, PLEASE WATCH THIS FILM, YOU WON’T REGRET IT!
Review by Golyadkin for Taxi Driver (2 Disc Special Edition) [1976] [DVD]
Rating:
I have no idea how anyone can say this film disapointed them, it was the first of its kind when released; and is still up to the standards of modern psychological dramas and beyond most of them. Aparently, when it was first released it scared alot of pimps and peadophiles; its got such a realistic impact and takes you so deep inside the character of Travis Bickle. He is basically a man who is tormented by his existance, he cant sleep and his mind is always active; he tries to take his attention of himself, but nothing works; so he becomes a taxi driver. And from here on the film bascially depicts the increaseing pressure he feels under.
The film is full of great little moments that you probably wont understand the first time round, the screen play is exellent; thier little moments but their shot in such a way as to give you some idea of the impact that they have on Travis; the paracetamol in the glass or the gangsters in the cafe are an example of this; Travis is like a puppet on the stings of his surroundings, hes got no control over his emotions and things get evermore intense.
The ending is incredible for its psychological impact, not necassarily for the blood and gore you see; for that its nothing special and their are plenty of other better films for that to see; if you havent been following the film the whole time you wont appriciate it. But this is certainly one of my favorite films; the cast is exellent and so is the directing and screen play
Review by for Taxi Driver (2 Disc Special Edition) [1976] [DVD]
Rating:
Ignore that Luxemburg critic, Taxi Driver is a masterpiece. Following the story of a lonely and paranoid cab driver’s fall into madness in his own private hell (taking the form of an oppressive New York), we see the taxi driver, Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro in his most complex performance, other than Once Upon A Time In America), wage a self righteous war against the “scum of the street”.Jodey Foster also stars as the child prostitute which Travis tries to rescue and Harvey Keitel as her jive talking pimp. The only flaw about this film is that the final bloody scene was saturated of its colours because the censors deemed it too violent for general release.Aside from that fault (which is no fault of the actual filmakers but the cowardly censors being afraid to show the hard hitting truth), this is none the less a superb film about social isolation, human depravity and how people try to hide the realties of their own existance.
Review by S J Buck for Taxi Driver (2 Disc Special Edition) [1976] [DVD]
Rating:
This searing movie from Martin Scorcese is one of the great films of the 1970’s. It features Robert DeNiro in the role of a lifetime, as ex-Vietnam vet Travis Bickle, who can’t sleep and drives a Cab at night as a form of therapy. Travis also has trouble relating to people and it is this that gives him difficulties when he meets Betsy (played wonderfully by Cybill Shepherd) and things go from bad to worse when he then meets Iris (Jodie Foster) a teenage prostitute…. The supporting cast includes Peter Boyle and Harvey Keitel.
Scorcese works his magic in this film. A number of scenes from this film are unforgettable and some have become iconic. Obviously the “Are you talking to me…” mirror scene is the most well known but there are a number of others. Travis winds up a Secret Service agent, suggesting he would like to join – this is marvellously played. You will notice in a later scene that Travis has made some slight adjustments to his hair! In another classic scene, which certainly influenced Quentin Tarantino for a scene in ‘Reservoir Dogs’, Travis goes to buy some guns. The dialog is marvellous. Full credit to Paul Schrader for the brilliant script, without his contribution the film would not have as good.
This edition has the following extras:
Introduction to DVD – Martin Scorsese – this was recorded in 2006 and lasts about 15 minutes during which Scorsese talks about the influences that created Taxi Driver (Jean Luc Goddard etc).
Introduction to DVD – Paul Schrader
Commentary – Paul Schrader
Commentary Robert Kolker (Author)
Loneliness and Inspiration – Documentary
Cabbie Confessional – Documentary
Producing a Cult Classic
Appreciation and Influence – this is an interesting series of intereviews about Martin Scorsese with many famous directors and actors.
Taxi Driver Locations – Then and Now
Animated Photo Gallery
Storyboard to Film Comparisons
Behind the Scenes Documentary
Theatrical Trailer
Filmographies
The film also contains the last ever film score from Bernard Hermann who had previously done Citizen Kane and Psycho to name but two. This score is really excellent. A Jazzy saxophone with a haunting melody, but that changes menacingly without warning. Quite brilliant.
This is, particularly at the end, a very violent film and one with an ending that may leave you perplexed. Despite this it has a haunting quality because of its running themes of alienation and loneliness. It isn’t easy watching but does reward you with repeated viewings. An essential DVD for any film collection.
Review by John Peter O’connor for Taxi Driver (2 Disc Special Edition) [1976] [DVD]
Rating:
Travis Bickle (De Niro) is an ex-Marine with a problem, he cannot sleep. So, he gets a job driving a taxi in the New York night. He is a man without fear so he will go anywhere anytime and of course, this means that he always sees the worst of the city.Travis is almost totally lacking in social skills and this leads to a disastrous date with Betsy (Shepherd) and an ever increasing sense of alienation from and disgust with the world around him.A chance encounter with Iris (Foster) a child prostitute, increases Travis’ sense that he must do something about the city. He wavers between taking action against the man in control of Betsy, politician Charles Palantine for whom Betsy is a campaign worker and the man in control of Iris, Sport (Keitel) her pimp.A close brush with secret service men who spot him in a crowd makes his decision and Travis decides to free Iris in a bloody shootout.It’s not a bad plot but the movie is really about the alienation of one man from the city around him. In this, De Niro is totally convincing he is in the city but not of the city. He has a hard job too. A social misfit cannot be given a sharp snappy script. Instead, such a person will at times be an embarrassment to those around him and De Niro portrays this perfectly.This definitely a “must see” film. It is well paced and keeps the audience’s attention throughout. The settings and the atmosphere of the dark side of the city are convincing. My only reservation is the ending. I cannot see how Travis’ action would have been viewed in the way that the film showed.