The importance of Taxi Driver cannot be overstated. More than a well made film, the movie is a genuine character study of the highest achievement. The absurdity of the decade in which the film was made lends an incredible amount of reinforcement to the presentation. The "conspicuous consumption" lifestyle of the 1970's makes the cheapness of human life depicted in the film (prostitution, exploitation, violence) seem all the more engaging. A few of the more important, albeit subtle scenes that I feel make the character study so realized include the following (I would ask that any viewer of the film pay close attention to these scenes and try to interpret the subtle importance of them as they relate to the character):