a review of 出租车司机

I consider Taxi Driver to be Scorsese's magnum opus. He created a film in 1976 that is still as impressive and realistic today as it must have been back then. I also consider this to be Robert de Niro's best role ever. His young screen presence is powerful and radiant, and his growing post-Vietnam traumatic stress disorder is portrayed magnificently. You can feel his frustration and restlessness. Then there's the young Cybill Shepherd, whose beauty is mesmerizing. Once she appears in a scene, you can't take your eyes off of her. And let's not forget Jodie Foster, who proved her natural acting talent in Taxi Driver at the age of 12. Scorsese's cinematography is also brilliant, atmospherically portraying the streets of New York in the 1970s — raw and brooding, accompanied by maestro Bernard Herrmann's melancholic jazz score. The "Talkin' to me?" scene is a classic, but I think the best part of the movie is the climactic shootout scene, which is one of the most realistic and intense gun violence scenes I've ever seen, followed by the beautiful, ghost-like overhead camera pan across the crime scene. Taxi Driver is one of those films that transcends mere entertainment and establishes a credible alternate reality.