Taxi to a distant place close to home.

I just finished watching the movie Taxi Driver for the first time and I thought it would be worth the time to share a few of my thoughts. Plus, it has been a while since I have done any movie reviews and I think it is a good exercise in criticism at the very least.

My first impressions of the movie are that I found it to be very real feeling and candid in its approach. I enjoyed the musical backbone of the whole thing, which never seemed out of place or overbearing, and helped encourage the proper tone at all the right times. I can't recall seeing Robert De Niro in a younger role, nor can I recall seeing him with such a consistently focused demeanor in any other films I have seen him in... which is saying a lot, actually... he is almost always very focused and present in his roles, generally speaking. I don't really know how to describe this, however, other than his conviction and believability in his role.

The cinematography was quite excellent, as well, and I found myself enjoying the creativity and clarity of the images with regularity throughout the entire movie. It further encouraged me to be more purposeful and creative with my own photographic endeavors, whether in cinema or otherwise.

I was quite impressed with the storyline as well. It was never boring or inconsistent. It was also pleasantly unpredictable. I don't even mind being able to predict a decent amount of where a story might be heading but the unpredictability is just a refreshing sort of thing from time to time.

All in all, as far as classic cinema is concerned or otherwise, I will give this movie a solid $20 tip... out of a possible $23(if I'm carrying all my spare change.) It was somewhat dark, on the harsher side of things, but beyond that a very excellent piece of cinematic artwork. I would highly recommend it to any who don't mind a medium-paced, thought-provoking, slice-of-life movie.