#24 - Taxi Driver (1976)

Here we go, the third Scorcese flick on the list. And I can assure you, this is the best one out of the three. Mostly because of the premise and the themes it deals with. While Cape Fear was good and The Departed wasn't appealing to me, this one takes the cake.

The film is about Travis Bickle, played by Robert DeNiro, a depressed ex-marine working as a cabbie to cope with his insomnia. He has witnessed a large amount of unsettling things like criminals and prostitution during his profession, but when a 12 year old prostitute (a very young Jodie Foster) is dragged out of his car by her pimp, and decides to put a stop to it. And by that I mean getting guns and... you get the idea.

I really liked Robert De Niro's character and performance. Even when he's a nutjob, you still feel sympathy for him. He's lonely, depressed and alienated. Plus, as twisted as it may sound, I find his motive relatable. We keep seeing the bullshit every day without taking action. Even then, I think the movie "Falling Down" does this better (but to this film's credit, it came out 20 years later). There's something in his insanity and paranoia that is disturbingly understandable. I got mugged once or twice and right after it happened I was frustrated enough to think getting these people shot is not such a terrible idea. He may be crazy but in his head he has the best intentions and I find that fascinating.

Plus, he's very fun to watch. "You talkin' to me?"

And while the film keeps the focus on Travis, the rest of the characters are pretty interesting. Jodie Foster is shockingly believable as a 12 year old hooker, and Harvey Keitel as her pimp is also a highlight. Another thing I really liked was the ending, more precisely the message behind it. I won't spoil it, but it wraps up the story really good.

One minor complaint: I didn't feel like the political assassination part was tied in with the rest of the plot properly. Early in the film, Travis dates the campaign volunteer of a senator running for president. But after she turns him down (proabably because he took her to a PORNO THEATRE) he then attempts to take down the senator. Wait, what? I get that the fact that the fact that he wants to fit in with a normal person adds up to his development: I liked that, but why go shoot her boss in revenge?

The mohawk gives you away instantly. You didn't think it through, did you?

I have a couple more Scorcese films on the list (I have over 40 films to go and I keep getting more added in!), but this one is my favorite so far. It has a great central character, plenty of interesting themes developed around him, and while the plot has its flaws but it still works.