Taxi Driver is technically not a film it is a character study of a guy named Travis Bickle who would not take it anymore. Being a war veteran and away from society for a while and coming back to society and couldn’t cope with the shit that’s going through on a daily basis he tries to ignore it for a while but to an extent then he loses his shit and takes the matter to his own hands. We all have a Travis in us but we’re taming our inner demon we are accustomed to societal norms that are alien to a guy like Travis. Excluding the ideology even the way Travis lives or behaves has caught the attention of the viewer and sadly I guess I’m not sure anymore we’re living in a society where people root for a grey guy like Travis.
Blurring the Line Between Good and Evil
Travis Bickle blurred the line between hero and villain and made a new character called Anti-Hero that paved the way for other filmmakers to explore a whole new genre. Scorsese did a great job in depicting Loneliness which many people go through on a daily basis ( these Literally Me guys ). You can clearly see a graph in Travis from being an Alien to society and trying to adapt but couldn’t in the end he gives up. Travis was never a perfect guy here comes the beauty of Scorsese, the guy shows the worst possible toxic masculine guys in the most perfect possible ways as a mirror to the audience to get a reality check on their own character.
A Reflection of Our Inner Demons
You just can’t understand why this film is special in one watch or even many until you internally feel what Travis as a person is: is he good or bad? What made him like that? Question yourself is Solitude good or bad what happens when a man who has been through a war is left alone in a society that’s alien to him? What happens when you leave that man with no one to talk to but himself? I love how two women control the whole film about a lonely man. Travis is a version of us that we never want to become.
Nazeef is a cinephile in the truest sense of the word. While his devotion to Martin Scorsese is unparalleled, his love for cinema knows no boundaries. He explores films from every corner of the world with a deep curiosity and a critical eye. Every movie he watches opens up new perspectives, and his reviews always bring fresh insights, making him an essential voice in the global film community.