A few years ago, I watched Raging Bull on a whim. Having finally appreciated a movie not starring Will Ferrell, I vowed to make my way through the rest of Martin Scorsese’s greatest hits. Next up was Taxi Driver. Needless to say, I was not prepared for the emotional and mental punch to the gut that this masterpiece served up.
The tale of urban decay chronicles one man’s descent into what could very well be referred to as madness. Robert De Niro’s tour de force performance as cab driver Travis Bickle is the one by which I measure all other acting performances. Bickle is the closest thing to a Holden Caulfield that I’ve ever seen on the big screen. Every scene is pitch perfect, from the lightly comic entrance, to the horrifying climax, to the uncertain and unsettling denouement.
A select few film embed themselves in your consciousness so deeply that you can’t help but take them with you wherever you go. Among Scorsese’s impressive catalog, Taxi Driver is the work that stays with me.
