Movie Minx

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Plot: A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out.

But is it any good?

Not that it really matters, but the first and only time I’ve seen Taxi Driver was in Berlin, during the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. While waiting for the movie to start, I got chatting to a German dude doing his compulsory military service. He’d forged a doctor’s note just so he could have the afternoon off to watch this movie on the big screen. He was so excited.

Anyway, it was worth the hype. It’s dark, it’s gritty, and De Niro does edgy so well. Fans of Jodie Foster won’t be surprised at how seemingly effortlessly she pulls off her role as a child hooker (she was 12 at the time). One of the movie’s stand-out moments is also due to Scorsese (in a cameo) playing a man waiting outside his apartment while his wife’s busy screwing someone else inside.

A powerful portrait of a disaffected being ready to explode at any moment, topped off with a Bernard Hermann score… well, say no more. A dark classic.

The film’s also got the famous “You talkin’ to me?” line (one of the joys of making my way through this list is being able to tick off famous quotes).

IMDb’s rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 9.5/10

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