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(This review contains spoilers. You have been warned.)

I may have been born in 1983, but the year 1976 has had a pivotal effect upon my life. First came Rocky, a classic rags-to-riches tale of the underdog that captivated me ever since I remember first watching the original in my parents' living room, in my pre-adolescent years. Taxi Driver, born within the same year as Rocky, came later. Like the main character Travis Bickle (De Niro), I was at a point in my life where I was struggling to find any form of purity; sat at opposite ends of the sofa, my girlfriend and I were on non-speaking terms, and I was becoming pretty clueless in regards how to treat women in general.

Having watched Taxi Driver last night for the countless time, it's actually beginning to scare me now how much I feel like I am able to relate more and more to De Niro's character within each viewing. I probably shouldn't admit it, but my current state of misanthropy has been influenced by failed relationships and breakdowns of apparent-friendships (not to mention this country's current state of recession). Writing probably isn't the best career in finding solace or effectively functioning in society; by contrast, "fitting in" probably wouldn't give me any individualist value, either. Never has the film's quote "Partly truth, partly fiction. A walking contradiction," been so relevant to me.

Bickle, like this writer, is a loner. Suffering from chronic insomnia, he spends his days and nights working the streets as a cabbie and then "relaxing" in seedy porn theatres, searching for a sense of belonging. Disgusted by what he sees, he attempts to develop relationships with other people: First with local girl Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), then with New York Senator Charles Palantine, and even with a Secret Service agent. All his attempts to connect fail.

Travis' thoughts soon begin to turn violent. As an act of rebellion, he shaves his hair into the style of a Mohawk, buys a number of pistols from an arms dealer, and vents his frustrations via menacing speeches to his living room mirror ("You talkin' to me?") He only begins to find hope when he meets a twelve-year-old prostitute named Iris (a significant role for Jodie Foster), who is under the wing of her pimp "Sport" (Harvey Keitel). Travis goes on a violent shooting spree in the hallways of the bad guys in a bid to "cleanse" America and convince Iris to leave her seedy way of life behind and go back to school.

Scorsese's powerful 1976 film is considered a masterpiece to many as it has the ability to pull the viewer into the alienated world of Travis to disturbing effect. Cinematography by Michael Chapman and music by Bernard Herrmann are both significant in contributing to the dark, oppressive atmosphere that surrounds Bickle. As the urban city of New York decays, the viewer becomes engrossed by the character's developing anxiety.

What's more, the speculation surrounding the character's mental state has kept the film fresh, even by today's standards. Critics and fans still debate whether the violent ending was a reality in Travis' world, or a scenario brought about by his schizophrenic imagination. Is he considered to be a protagonist in the sense that he rescues the young girl from the sex-obsessed gutters? Or an antagonist, in the sense he was about to assassinate a political figure only a few moments earlier? Whichever, the numerous articles in regards to the film make fascinating further reading.

Taxi Driver may be a psychological study of a lonely and depressed young man struggling to develop a sense of belonging, but as more and more people watch it they find themselves understanding and sympathising with Travis' mindset; thus, gaining him more and more popularity. This anchors him as one of the most memorable characters in cinema history (right up there with Don Corleone from The Godfather).

I must also note: Like Travis, I too have found my sense of belonging. Taxi Driver is a disturbing and endlessly watchable film that captivated my attention from beginning to end. It's a truly brilliant piece of work from legendary director Martin Scorsese that will live on for years to come.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.