In 1975 Brian De Palma introduced a young screenwriter named Paul Schrader to his director friend Martin Scorsese. Paul had just finished writing a screenplay and Martin was interested in shooting it. The screenplay was Taxi Driver and the rest they say, is history. Released in 1976, Taxi Driver took the world by storm, and in the process, made Travis Bickle one of the most popular characters in the world. Robert De Niro stars as Bickle, a former Marine who was honorably discharged after the Vietnam war, now living a lonely and depressing life in Manhattan. Plagued by insomnia, he soon takes a job driving a taxi cab through the five boroughs and spending his days walking through town and hanging out in seedy grind house movie theaters. After falling in love with Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a campaign volunteer, she breaks things off with him. This sends him deeper into depression and paranoia, causing him to believe he has no reason for living. All is not well, until he meets a 12-year old prostitute named Iris (played by the then 15-year old Jodie Foster). He starts to care about her and tries in vein to get her to quit her job and return home to her parents. Suddenly he has a reason to keep going and decides upon ridding the New York underground of its seedy populace. After four amazing independent films, director Martin Scorsese makes a jump to the big-time. What can I say about Scorsese that hasn't been said, the man is a genius in my opinion. I believe his filmography can speak for itself, and I see no signs of him slowing down. Which is a great thing! He is definitely someone to admire in the world of cinema. He also managed to get an amazing ensemble cast together. Peter Boyle, Albert Brooks and Harvey Keitel, all did exceptional in their minor, yet memorable supporting roles. Cybill Shepherd was, as always, intoxicating, I know why Bickle fell for her. Jodie Foster brought such a fearlessness to her role, it was very interesting and exciting to see. Robert De Niro should have won his first Best Actor Oscar for his role as Travis Bickle. Not only did he do an absolute perfect job in his performance, he also went as far as losing 35 pounds for the role and doing countless hours of research. De Niro made an icon out of Bickle, so much that the American Film Institute (AFI) named him the 30th most popular villain. I believe he should have been in the hero category, but that’s a debate for later. Also the AFI named the line "You talkin' to me?" the 10th most popular quote in the history of cinema. And to top it off, it was ranked #47 in the AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies list. That I believe is quite an honor. The film itself was also nominated for Best Picture Oscar, ultimately losing to Rocky, which isn't a knock by any means. However, Taxi Driver did win the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Magazine Film Comment recently named it the greatest Palme d'Or winner of all time. All these awards and nominations are just proof that this film should take its rightful place among the greatest of the greatest, and in my books, it definitely has.
#8 coming next!
Shawn M
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