Taxi Driver 1976

The Good:

• Very sharp and memorable dialogue.
• A score that is both haunting, playful and sensual, perfectly capturing the feel of the film.
• Martin Scorsese tells his story expertly using close-ups, sweeping shots and well-placed imagery.
• The entire film balances on De Niro's layered performance. Travis Bickle is a fascinating character in his simplicity and naivety and at the same time, he is complex in his madness and obsession. Either way, De Niro performs impeccably.
• The chemistry between De Niro and both Foster and Shepherd is great.
• What starts out as a slightly uncomfortable romance turns into a mystery and a crime thriller - the loner turns into a vigilante.
• Several memorable moments including the scene in the taxi with the husband, the conversation with the Secret Service guy, the "You talkin' to me?" sequence...
• Shows that dark, gritty and filthy side of NYC that is so central to Bickle's motives.
• A 12-year-old Jodie Foster totally steals the show in her small but impressive part.
• Deep down, Taxi Driver is a story about loneliness, madness and mental disorder.

The Bad:

• The dialogue oftentimes feels abstract and philosophical and very rarely advances the plot itself.
• The first hour is not very interesting.
• There are plenty of scenes that feel like padding or filler and they interrupt the natural flow of the film.
• I had difficulties grasping the actual motives of the characters as well as the political and societal undertones of the script or the whole point of the film.
• There is a proper build-up to the core of the story but after that, the film goes nowhere until it suddenly arrives at a conclusion.
• The entire subplot with Betsy and Palantine feels superfluous since they are barely even in the film.

Verdict:
It's a simple story with a powerful message - but even De Niro's Oscar-worthy performance can't save a film that suffers from a simplicity and lack of supporting characters.