Travis' contempt for those less fortunate than himself hints at the slightly psychopathic personality that Travis appears to hide and this certainly begins to show later in the film where he takes a girl out to a porn film on a date, attempts to assassinate (for no apparent reason other than to gain the attention of a girl he likes along with the media) a presidential candidate and then goes on to murder several pimps to save a girl he has only genuinely met on two occasions. It is this last act which makes Travis such a curious character and the plot so intriguing as despite all his sociopathic tendencies, for example killing a robber with absolutely no remorse in a shop, he grows fond of a 12 year old prostitute Iris for no explicit reason other than what I can infer as empathy, as earlier she attempts to get in his cab to escape her pimp 'Sport' who then tosses him a crumpled twenty dollar bill which constantly reminds him of her. He appears to feel genuine remorse and after attempting to convince her to quite goes and murders the pimps including Sport who are holding her captive. The beauty of this is that once he has saved Iris he attempts to commit suicide as the police arrive but, being out of ammo, resigns himself to the sofa and when the police arrive he mimes shooting himself in such a smug, self-assured manner that it is hauntingly casual, especially seeing as he is slouched on a sofa.
The plot is on the whole relatively good but it would be wrong to say it doesn't leave more to be desired from it. In particular it fails to really account for Travis' strange behaviour and one can only assume that he is mentally ill in some way despite the fact that he has several friends. As well as this it seems like the entire film is missing something as if the director (Martin Scorsese) forgot to leave in what it all means, as the film appears to constantly drop hints of some sort of political or social agenda it wishes to set out but never makes clear what it is, for example the fact that Travis constantly talks about the scum and filth on the streets (referring to those with little money living in deprived communities such as Harlem) and even tells a democrat candidate about it and while by itself this would appear to have meaning the democrat then replies strangely (as Travis' attitudes are severely contrasting to his judging from the reactions of his advisors) "Yes Travis, but it won't be an easy road, we will need radical change." The fact that Travis continues to 'support' Palantine (the democrat who he speaks to and then attempts to assassinate) is meant to show the political apathy in New York as Travis only supports Palantine because he fancies a girl who works for him, and Palantine only agrees with Travis so that he will continue to vote for the former. If this is so I don't feel like this message was very well put across and if this isn't the message then frankly I don't know what is, and whatever it was wasn't put across very well.
There are two initial appeals that this film had to me just from the start of the film. The first of these which I will elaborate on is the soundtrack which is incredibly famous and has been requested in jazz clubs all over the world ever since it's conception. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLVYEUb8vU
I would seriously recommend you listen to it whether you intend to watch the film or not because of it's wonderfully seductive ability to ease you into the feel of New York and the many unpleasantries it has to offer as well as the delights. The beautifully lulling tones of the saxophone as Robert De Niro talks to you about his job go so picturesquely with the New York streets at night that it comes together to complete a picture of absolute perfection. Bernard Hermmann did an absolutely spectacular job on the theme for this film and in alot of ways it is this music that completely characterises the film for myself and many others as it perfectly demonstrates De Niro driving through the streets of Harlem and picking up rough customers while complaining to himself about having to wipe the semen and blood off his seats after. It is difficult to put into words how appropriately this music was written and frankly there is little more to say on that, I can simply listen to the soundtrack and then feel myself drifting off into the streets of New York full of it's yellow taxis, skyscrapers and deprived communities that are not for the tourists eyes.
The second appeal this film had for me from start to finish was the impeccable performance by Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle (the taxi driver and protagonist). He plays an introvert man who is unable to sleep at nights and so decides to take up a job as a taxi driver as in his words, "I'd rather get paid for it," referring to his insomnia. The beautiful thing about Robert De Niro in this film and certainly The Godfather Part II is the subtlety which he seems to effortlessly pull off, he casually slips into his role with such ease and naturale that is an inevitable product of any method actor. Being famous for his commitment to roles in this way is certainly not something you need me to tell you about and it will come as no surprise to inform you that he worked for a few weeks prior to this film as a cab driver in New York.
Overall despite my somewhat harsh criticisms about the meaning of the whole film I would give this film a solid 8.4 as it had a good plotline, a unique and truly inspiring soundtrack all rounded off with a terrific performance from Robert De Niro with a relatively decent supporting cast though nothing really worthy of note here good or bad. Obviously my main criticisms are made clear in the second paragraph but I would still not think twice about recommending this film, it's extremely intriguing and makes one feel as if they already are in the streets of mid 70s New York.
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