"Taxi Driver" is an effective, gritty work that is both a masterpiece and unforgettable. It is, I believe, the first movie that really showed the brilliance of Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul  Schrader. This is a dark, disturbing journey into madness, realistically  capturing the mean streets in all their realism. Travis Bickle (Robert  DeNiro), is a deep examination of a man falling deeper and deeper into the  abyss of madness. Driven even deeper by what he sees in the world around  him. Schrader's screenplay at times has the feel of a documentary, as does  Scorsese's adaptation onto film. "Taxi Driver" vibrates with a  realism seen in few movies. Maybe that's why it has stood the test of time  triumphantly. Seeing this movie once is not enough, because you need to see  it more than once to really get what it's saying, to truly understand it.  Scorsese's film is gritty and at times, shocking, but not dumb or bloody  just for entertainment. "Taxi Driver" explores through Bickle,  the nature of crazy people, really getting into the mind of a lonely man  who doesn't know much about the outside world because he seldom goes out to  explore it. The film is always interesting, Scorsese brings it to life  through the settings, camera angles and cinematography. The shoot-out at  the end is one of the most brilliant ever filmed because it seems  realistic, but not over-exagerrated, it's shocking, but we understand it.  "Taxi Driver" opened doors for more filmmakers who wanted to make  movies that didn't hold back, that were realistic in their representation  of the dark corners of society. It stands as a brilliant work which will be  studied and endured for years to come.