TAXI DRIVER (1976) - ENGLISH

A great psychological film from a master director called Martin Scorsese.

It's difficult to say who is greater , if it is Robert De Niro as Travis or Martin Scorsese who made the Travis. I'd give in to the argument and come to terms with diplomacy and say both are great but personally, I love Martin more than Robert. Robert sure is a great actor but the way the whole film is handled by Martin is one thing that made a fine beginning for a man, who gave us very very significant films in his career.

Lot goes on in creating an atmosphere that makes us delve into the film as audience and lot more goes into such writing and detailing. Right, from making the room like that of a reckless taxi driver to the setting up of a brothel room the environment is such dream like that it seems like to be a place we see at times in reality and at time in our dreams. Salutations to the Art Director, Cinematographer and the Director who have envisioned such ambience and resented the same. 

The writing.. the screenplay is one that on the face is simple is simple, like Travis (Robert De Niro) preparing for a shoot meticulously and a few shots of holding gun and looking himself in mirror and all will make that. But the execution and enacting the writing is what makes this film special. It's not an easy thing to direct psychological films and that's the very reason I respect guys like Welles, Polanski, Hitchcock and Scorsese above many. 

The music score also helps a great deal and thanks to Bernard Hermann to have given such a score that is jazzy, psychedelic and at times creepy too.  

Ok, now to Robert De Niro, he would have got all the best actor awards, had there not been a "Network" coz he carried the character Travis Bickle with such ease on his shoulders that I had felt the same pain as he did, when he is rejected by a girl. Thus, all through he made me empathise with him and took me into his mood, his reason of doing a certain thing. I just gave into Niro's character I must say. 

When the last time I saw in 2006 post my engineering days, I could not see any Indian actor but now I see Ranbir Kapoor can replicate a Taxi Driver as he has got in him everything. But I hope, this film is not remade ever and even if it does, it has to be someone like Anurag Kashyap directing Ranbir Kapoor. 

A 4/5 for a great film and very important film that has defined psychological films, and indeed was the arrival of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.