Silent J’s review published on Letterboxd:
In 1975, rising actor Robert De Niro broke into Hollywood with an Oscar in hand after giving a phenomenal performance in The Godfather Part II. People knew he had a bright future ahead of him, but they doubted if he could go on to give a better performance. One year later, Taxi Driver was released and the rest, as they say, is history.
Robert De Niro gave a magnficent one-of-a-kind performance. I can't imagine anyone else as Travis Bickle, yet alone saying the phrase "You talkin' to me?". Intense, mesmerizing and intriguing on screen, De Niro makes the film compelling and haunting. You even get a really great breakout performance from Jodie Foster. It definetely was'nt an easy challenge to play her character, so she definetly made an impression. The directing is just amazing and establised Scorsese as an artist. The way he uses the environment to further the story is just first-class directing at it's finest. The film plays out as less of a story and more of a diary of a madman. A diary that accounts a man's slip into madness and his transformation from man to beast.
Taxi Driver is a brilliant but violent study of paranoia, desire, temptation, obsession, and insanity. A masterpiece that can never be topped again. A must watch just to witness the rise of a visceral actor, a visionary director, and an unforgettable tale.