1976 movieRating: 20/20
Plot: Travis Bickle gets a new job driving a taxi, makes a few buddies, starts a hobby collecting guns, gets involved with politics, gets a pretty girlfriend, and decides to experiment with his hair.
I may have given bonus points for this for being indirectly responsible for nearly getting Ronald Reagan assassinated. Just think about how powerful that is for a moment. Yeah, I know that The Cat in the Hat could probably drive a person to kill, too, but that's different.
Some questions for my readers who have seen this:
1) Is Travis Bickle a hero?
2) Isn't Travis Bickle dead at the end of this movie? Is that meant to be ambiguous or am I missing something? If he's not dead, is it a happy ending?
3) Is this a war movie?
Here's the most disturbing thing, for me at least: Travis Bickle is relatable. Think about that, too. He's a lonely figure in one of the most crowded cities in the world. He's trapped in this insomniac pessimist fever dream. He can't understand why his date isn't happy about being taken to a pornographic movie theater. It's almost like this story was ripped right out of every man's diary.
I love how that Bernard Herrman sax-heavy score and the filthy backdrop of New York City's prettiest bits almost sexualize the parts of a taxi cab at one point in this movie. I was aroused, and I don't even really find cars all that attractive. I think it might be the color yellow. Then again, Cybill Shepherd's hair didn't do much for me at all. Oddly, Albert Brooks' hair did.
Another question: Did Jodie Foster have good parents?
Harvey Keitel and Peter Boyle's characters should have gotten spin-offs or prequels.
Love Gene Palma as "Street Drummer" enough here to check out every other film he's ever been in. That's only two movies, one a documentary about pornography and one a John Ritter movie. He should have also gotten a spin-off.
I love the linearity of Bickle's story. Every scene is a step in the direction this character is going. And every single scene, arguably, is important.
Here's a question for discussion: If you could invite any six movie characters to have dinner with you, which six would you invite? For me, it would be Travis Bickle, Mary Poppins, and four others. I haven't finished my list yet.
19 comments:
On my third or fourth viewing of this I realized that I saw the Butthole Surfers play at the Times Square porno theater Bickle takes Cybil to. It's called The Lyric, you can see it on the swinging doors, and it was a rock club for a brief period in the 89-90.
John Hinckly, who I later found out had connections to the Bushes, was portrayed as a lone nut trying to get Jodie Foster's attention when he shot Reagan. He had a copy of Catcher In The Rye, like Lennon's assassin, in his hotel room. Bickle, like Holden Caulfied, calls everyone a phoney, and hires prostitutes just to talk to them. The pimps don't like it.
Harvey Keitel is great. I'm not sure if Bickle dies at the end, I didn't think so.
Yeah, but who are you inviting to your dinner party?
The Man With No Name, Papa Smurf and Scooby Doo philosopher (from Slacker), R.P. McMurphy (Cuckoo's Nest), Odile (Anna Karina, Band of Outsiders), Lisbeth Sandler (Swedish Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Your punctuation is impeccable, but I read that as just Papa Smurf at first...it hurt because I didn't think you were taking this seriously. That's a good list though!
The Man With No Name and Sandler will fight over the favors of Odile. The philosophers will pontificate and McMurphy will end up with Odile in the end. (!)
Now finish your list.
Travis is not dead....not even close.
I liked this, in fits and starts. Its a great performance by Deniro, and the movie hits some real hot button issues in that Falling Down sort of way. On the other hand, the Bickle character gets old for me pretty fast, mainly because I have known too many people that want to BE Travis Bickle.
It gets a 15 from me.
Incredible performance by DeNiro, and the ominous mood of inevitable doom make this unforgetable. Like "Raging Bull", I can't say I enjoy this as much as I respect it. Amazingly dark film. A 17.
1. Jules (Pulp Fiction)
2. Rupert Cadell (Rope)
3. Sgt. Hartman (Full Metal Jacket)
4. Leopold Dilg (Talk of the Town)
5. Henry II (The Lion in Winter)
6. Lisa Fremont (Rear Window)
oooo I wanna go to Cory's dinner party!
They changed the comments section. Dont know if I like it yet.
As for the six movie characters.
Well
Superman-from any Superman movie.
Rick Blaine-from Casablanca
Vito Corleone-from The Godfather (Or even from the Godfather II)
Indiana Jones-from Raiders of the Lost Ark
James Bond-from any Connery Bond film.
Jules Winnfield-from Pulp Fiction--BEFORE he finds religion.
i feel left out. :( i just could NOT get into this. i thought the acting was silly. the script was bad.
whats this dinner list game? i feel left out again
Rio...just pick six movie characters you would like to have dinner with.
I guess I SHOULD have put Jesus and Albert Einstein on there...but I am shallow and would rather eat with Superman and Indiana Jones.
So nobody agrees with my 20/20? I'm shocked.
I should note that my feelings have changed on this movie. I didn't feel like I got it the first time. The second time I liked it a lot better. Now I think it's nearly perfect.
Dinner game...don't you read, Mark? It's the last thing I wrote in the post. I realize that I only Facebook statused the rest of my list though, so here it is. I actually made two lists:
Group 1:
1) Bickle
2) Mary Poppins
3) Eddie (Nic Cage character from 'Deadfall')
4) Aguirre (Kinski!)
5) Torgo
6) King Fausto (got to have a little person!)
Group 2:
1) Wendy Torrance (Shining)
2) Keechie (Thieves Like Us)
3) Ida Coyle (McCabe and Mrs. Miller)
4) Suzanne Davis (Brewster McCloud)
5) Millie Lammoreaux (3 Women)
6) Amelia Glahn (Twilight of the Ice Nymphs)
That's right...and don't get too excited here...all played by Shelley Duvall. That's 6 Shelley Duvalls and me.
Oh, I forgot...I replaced Torgo with Willy Wonka (the Gene Wilder one) in that first group. Torgo is uninvited. He can go eat with the other goatmen.
I agree with 20/20
Yes! You and Mary Poppins both!
ohh cool cool.
i want to be withnail so i will have to go with him as my number 1.
the cartoon i would most like to **** is princess lenore so would have to pick her.
benjamin from smoke. i just want to squeeze him(docs okay?)
pandora(louise brooks) in case i dont score with lenore
the original human centipede and the puppet from faust.
honorable mention goes to the drug dealer from withnail and i(he has the good stuff)
you know shane your group 2 makes me jealous.
And if you don't score with Lenore or Louise, you can always flirt with the puppet.
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