"Taxi Driver" (1976)

Having re-watched a film that inspired it (The Searchers), and having caught up with one of its obvious successors (Super), this week seemed like the right time to finally watch this iconic film from the seventies. It isn’t the highest ranked film on the imdb 250 list that I haven’t seen (at the time of this writing that distinction goes to another Scorsese movie, “Goodfellas”), but there aren’t many higher.

This film fits squarely into the sheep category. Films like 2001 or Citizen Kane are other examples of this type of film. Competent, even great for their day, they may be important films as they set some standard or broke some new ground; but the point is you are supposed to like them. Even if you don’t really enjoy the experience, you say you did because to not like this piece of art renders you a fraud. There is safety in the herd.

I for one was pretty indifferent with this one. It is well made and acted, but uninspiring. Some will say that is the point. However, I can’t even manage to dislike this one enough. This far removed from 1976 I think it fails to have the shocking impact that it had in its day. Time has not been kind to “Taxi Driver.”