I don't really have a favorite movie. I do have a list of a bunch that are in the running and Taxi Driver is certainly a contender. It's not often that all the focal points of a film come together in perfect synergy but Taxi Driver is one of those times. Paul Schrader's screenplay, Scorcese's direction, Bernard Hermann's score, and the actors performances are all perfectly captured of film and the result is dark, mesmerizing, and yes beautiful.
If you've never seen Taxi Driver, it's basically the story of isolated loser and cabbie, Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro). Bickle has no friends, a bad case of insomnia, a hatred of what he perceives as "scum" and all the time in the world to dwell on these factors. Bickle's story is simultaneously a tragedy, a black, black comedy, a statement on the media and 70's culture and ultimately, a totally engrossing film experience.
So much of the credit for Taxi Driver's ability to hold up so well 35 years later has to go to Schrader and Scorsese. The themes of isolation and disgust at the world are pretty universal and are captured in both the screenplay and the dreamlike quality of film itself. DeNiro gives perhaps the finest performance of his career (in a career filled with at least 5 life changing roles) as Bickle. He plays naive, angry, frustrated and emotionally needy as well as anyone in film history and he is the complete center of the film. The supporting cast is just as excellent and another reason Taxi Driver will forever stand the test of time. Jodie Foster is fantastic as the child prostitute who will become Bickle's obsession (his obsession to save her from her life and not sexual). Harvey Keitel is both goofy and menacing as her pimp. Cybill Sheppherd does more than just look beautiful as a early potential (doomed to fail) love interest. Peter Boyle and Albert Brooks also mange to hold their own as the seemingly (and incorrectly so) wise veteran cabbie Wizard and Albert Brooks -- in his first dramatic role -- holds his own as both comic relief and a impediment for Bickle's success with Sheppherd.
It would be easy to go on and on about the virtues of Taxi Driver but anyone who's a fan of the film will know all this already and really this should be about whether or not the blu-ray is worth upgrading to. The answer is a resounding, YES!! One of the biggest dangers of releasing a film like Taxi Driver on blu-ray is that the temptation to clean it up and erase a lot of what makes the film work is huge. It would be easy to erase grain, scrub out too much of the dirt and end up with a waxy, bright look that would totally destroy the feel of the film. Thankfully none of those things have happened here. The movie still looks as dirty, grimy and ugly (in a very good way) as ever. The blu-ray does bring out a level of detail never before seen and the color scheme is much more full and strong. This is all done while staying true to the source material. In short the film has never looked better. The audio track isn't quite the upgrade that the video is but the lossless soundtrack is still quite impressive for a dialoueg based film from the 70's. Surround usage is mostly active in establishing atmosphere but in the few action scenes they come alive. Same thing with the films low end. It's never real strong but has just enough oomph to give certain scenes an extra boost. Dialogue is always clear and fully understandable as well.
Taxi Driver is one of the greatest films of all time. Period. The blu-ray looks and sounds great while still being true to the source material. There are a lot of interesting bonus features to keep fans busy for hours. I haven't talked about the packaging but it's really cool looking and has some sweet still photos included. It also costs about $12.99 pretty much everywhere. There is absolutely no reason for everyone to not own this. It's fantastic.
Ratings:
Movie: 5
Blu-ray: 5
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