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Taxi Driver (1976):
So I just saw "Taxi Driver" for the first time and it was really good. We follow a taxi driver (hence the title) named Travis who's as distant from reality as I was from his character, he sees his environment as filth, and he is desperate to find a pure being in this filth to connect with, but it seems that nobody fits his demanded criteria whether they're good people or not, everyone looks speaks and acts the same in his eyes, resulting to his isolation from society.
Essentially, Travis is out of sync of verity and reality, and that is not only represented by his socially backward ways and actions, but also by Martin Scorsese's direction, there are numerous shots where the attention should be on our main character, but the camera drifts away to another direction, predicting his next move, which even shows how out of sync of the film he is.
I personally saw the misanthropic's behaviour as a result of his services during the war, where human connection is absent and human destruction is all there is. Travis' built up and repressed hatred gradually ascends to the point where there is no option but to let it all out, and this is where I was a bit disappointed by the film, I was hoping for the story to go in a specific direction which I find quite fitting, but it chooses not to, sure they can write their story however they want, but in my opinion it would of been an overall better film had it went the way I wanted it to.
I also found the music extremely annoying, not saying that the piece itself was bad, but hearing the same decent instrumental over 60 times really got under my skin and became distracting. I just wish it was used sparingly. Another complaint I have is how some symbolism in the film got in the way of its logic, for example, near the end, when Travis has shaved his head and attended the public rally, he is positioned in a way that makes him stand out from the crowd, but how come the Secret Service agent hasn't noticed him when they have already encountered each other earlier in the film, I mean Travis is even wearing the same clothes, he only puts 2 and 2 together once Travis attempts to make his move, this is only a minor nitpick and it didn't have much of an impact on my experience though.
I'm happy I finally saw this immensely beloved movie, I wasn't disappointed nor totally fulfilled which is completely satisfying.
So I just saw "Taxi Driver" for the first time and it was really good. We follow a taxi driver (hence the title) named Travis who's as distant from reality as I was from his character, he sees his environment as filth, and he is desperate to find a pure being in this filth to connect with, but it seems that nobody fits his demanded criteria whether they're good people or not, everyone looks speaks and acts the same in his eyes, resulting to his isolation from society.
Essentially, Travis is out of sync of verity and reality, and that is not only represented by his socially backward ways and actions, but also by Martin Scorsese's direction, there are numerous shots where the attention should be on our main character, but the camera drifts away to another direction, predicting his next move, which even shows how out of sync of the film he is.
I personally saw the misanthropic's behaviour as a result of his services during the war, where human connection is absent and human destruction is all there is. Travis' built up and repressed hatred gradually ascends to the point where there is no option but to let it all out, and this is where I was a bit disappointed by the film, I was hoping for the story to go in a specific direction which I find quite fitting, but it chooses not to, sure they can write their story however they want, but in my opinion it would of been an overall better film had it went the way I wanted it to.
I also found the music extremely annoying, not saying that the piece itself was bad, but hearing the same decent instrumental over 60 times really got under my skin and became distracting. I just wish it was used sparingly. Another complaint I have is how some symbolism in the film got in the way of its logic, for example, near the end, when Travis has shaved his head and attended the public rally, he is positioned in a way that makes him stand out from the crowd, but how come the Secret Service agent hasn't noticed him when they have already encountered each other earlier in the film, I mean Travis is even wearing the same clothes, he only puts 2 and 2 together once Travis attempts to make his move, this is only a minor nitpick and it didn't have much of an impact on my experience though.
I'm happy I finally saw this immensely beloved movie, I wasn't disappointed nor totally fulfilled which is completely satisfying.