ppl all say its this great movie, and i dont understand how... it was ok... but not great by any means...
maybe it was great for the time... but eh...
any thoughts or comments??
am i wrong in thinking this... i dunno
ratz

If you don't like it, then you don't like it -- but I would urge you to rewatch it anyway as it's truly a masterpiece

Compare it with Rambo or Falling Down and you see how Scorsese & De Niro show a more complete and subtle picture of a man turning vigilante because his own righteous principles are out-of-sync with those of the world around him.

At the time of its release there was a lot going for it that is lost after watching movies of more modern times, shock value and graphic violence that was portrayed was unsurpassed in its time. It really is in many ways a masterpiece if you enjoy the unfolding of the story and following DiNero as he goes over the edge. It was an original, but there have been so many movies that were either take offs or inspired by it that Taxi Driver will likely be lost on a younger generation that grew up on Rambo.

My two cents

Like ^^^ it may not be all action but De Niro is awesome I also think its a masterpiece showing the effect of a modern society on a unstable personality.

ya i was thinking that as well... that its all about his personality and the way he acts towards that 1 girl... Cybill Shepherd by taking her to a porno and not even realizing that she would be uncomfortable... and then stalking her...
then after that attempting to kill the Governor... and at the end he sees her once again, and its as if he has moved on...

Starting to show my age a little but todays watchers are used to effects (bombs, 3D special effects) more than the actual movie content and acting. Martin Scorsese (sp) is a genius IMO as well as Robert Altman

Hi ratz, i agree with adl 242 this is actually one of my fave movies of all time, a true classic! i can see why some ppl wouldnt like it, if its not your cuppa then its not your cuppa. but, like some of the posts have said, you need to take it in the context of the time. at the time it probably would have been a fairly shocking movie for mainstream watchers and i presume there would have been some ppl that just didnt get the sentiment of the film. but i would say give it another watch if you havnt already.
a very brilliant film in my opinion.

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sorry about the text talk. bad habit.

No problemo, creepy Welcome to the Darkside!

De Niro's acting routine of late has kinda leveled out a bit, I think, so it's harder to see the character and not De Niro himself, unless he puts some real effort into it. Perhaps some De Niro fatigue got in the way?

For me it's one of the greats. DeNiro is truly menacing and disturbing, a fine performance, and great turns from Harvey Keitel and Jodie Foster. It was considered shocking at the time, apparently I read that Scorcese recoloured the scene at the end in order to get it past the censors.
It's supposed to be a comment / indictment of society / city. Slow decline of a mans mind. It's character driven, which makes it much more powerful - with a good splash of Scorcese of course.
The classic scene with DeNiro infront of the mirror - just brilliant.
Give it a second chance.

check out angel heart you might like that considering your recent research

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092563/

wish i was back in '87

im a big deniro fan....always have been but this film is boring....i know most of you will go on about the character and what the film was trying to say but cmon it was then what it still is now boring until the end scene.....i now await to be slaughtered

I'm shaving my head into a mohawk -- better start running, thewatcher!