I finally saw this movie yesterday and I got to say that's probably one of my favorites now.

I know it's a love it or hate it movie, when the movie finished I was like "this shit is so overated", but after thinking a bit about the plot and specially about the main character I realised that this is a genius work. De Niros' performance is one of the best I ever saw.

So what's your opinion on this classic piece?

Meh. It was OK. I didn't like or hate it.

I suppose I just didn't get it.

I'm one of the "hate it" people.

I was wondering how many posts it would take for you to come here and express your hate towards this movie

Well, I mean, it was completely absurd. None of the stuff in the film was even really possible, and Scorsese didn't even try to make it seem possible, like Fincher did with Fight Club. The whole film was just ridiculous.

Hum what do you mean? How is it not possible?

People just don't act like or do the things that the people do in that movie.

I saw it a couple months ago, so I don't remember everything exactly, but I do remember that it seemed very obvious that Robert De Niro was stalking that girl (don't recall actress' name), yet she still went out with him, and after a few awkwardly creepy dates, he tries to take her to a porno movie, and she actually goes in? I don't think any normal person would do that stuff.

one of my all time favorite movies.What is there not to get?An isolated man who doesnt know how to connect with the outside world (especially women) goes crazy and kills the people he sees as bad.A Powerful film.
Powerful musical score.Powerful acting by Robert Deniro.Powerful and dark look at New York City in the 70's.I love it!

The whole movie is absurd?Like what?Give an example.Is it absurd that
Travis Bickle is a lonely isolated man lost in the big city?There are many people like that.Is it absurd that the man goes crazy and kills the pimp and the whores?I read news stories were that has happened.All the "absurd could never happen I dont get it" posts are absurd themselves.

Robert Deniro said he related to the character the most.Especially his loneliness.The movie also expresses how both the writer and director felt at the time getting divorced and having a very dark view of the world.So the emotions are very real.

An interesting sidenote.The Fight Club was inspired by the Nine Inch Nails album The Downward Spiral.But the Downward Spiral was inspired by Trent Reznor being obsessed with Taxi Driver and watching it everynight as he was writing the songs.I remember him talking about Taxi Driver in a Kurt Loder interview and how the movie took him to very dark place.

so,I think the movie touches lots of loners l(ike myself),even if you all
"dont get it"

its not called stalking but courting.And who said Travis Bickle is "Normal"
?In the movie he is emotionally disturbed,and the woman is obviously attracted to that danger at first.
classic!

I was referring to the woman as being a normal person.

I think she was attacted to both his madness and the attention she was getting.But he scared her off with the porno movie.

This isn't directed towards anyone in particular, but it bothers me very much when people say a movie or other piece of art is bad because it's not realistic. Who gives a shit? That's why it's called art. It is something made to express an idea, or a feeling, or any other form of expression, something made entirely for its own sake and for its own reasons. Does it honestly detract from a movie at all if the situation is not entirely realistic? I understand poor editing or special effects or gripes like that, but never has the "realism" of a movie ever detracted from it's meaning or beauty, for me at least. I guess it's just something I don't understand, but I honestly see it as depriving yourself of an entire world of human feeling an expression. End rant.

It depends on the movie, IMO, and the tone of that movie. Taxi Driver is based somewhat on a surrealistic version of NYC and based very much in the surreal psyche of Travis Bickle. It creates a world seen through his fractured mind. Other movies rely more heavily on an actual, realistic view of the actual, realistic world to provide a background to their story. These tend to be less arty movies, though, ones that don't challenge the viewer enough to really explore an aspect of humanity through a skewed lense. Ones that tell the viewer that this is taking place in the world that they know and understand already and hence don't have to bother with exploring that world much more deeply.

That's what I think anyway. I agree with you, though, to shut out a movie based simply on the fact that it's not "realistic" is very closed-minded.

AMAZING MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think I'm quite getting my point across right.

It's not really the fact that it's not realistic that bothers me, it's just the same kind of thing that they do in horror movies. I mean, it's where they make the people just seem stupid and without common sense, that's what bothers me. At least give me intelligent characters so I can care about what happens to them.

Dinero had a shizoid/schizotypal personality disorder in this movie. That's all I know

I don't think her reactions or his reactions were off. Actually I think the characters are good and that their reactions fit. Just like captainloveboat explained, she was attracted to him and that's why she accepted his invitations and that's why she tried to "give it a shot" at the cinema scene.

Same here. I thought that was pretty bleeding obvious.

Yeah. It was certainly awkward for her when she saw here they were going and it was one of those really awkward social situations where you don't know what to do. It's very easy to get trapped in one of those and feel like you can't leave beause it's rude. Eventually, it just got to be too much for her. There's nothing "stupid" or contrived about it.

its NYC in 1976.Lots of crime and hookers and drug dealers and he was a taxi driver passing through thous filthy streets loathing them.To me its very realistic.I remember NYC in the late 70s walking through these kind of streets with my mom and that is how I remember times square.Porno everywhere,junkies shooting up in the street,hookers standing.So to me Taxi Driver is very real.

To me its very realistic.I still dont know what is not realistic about it.Its a simple story.A loner out of vietnam cant connect with the world around him,and gives in to his madness.The voice over from Deniro details his spiral into madness very well.Out of vietnam to a filthy city.Regected by women.Politicians fake and lying.Young girl selling her body to prostitution.It all explodes in him and he goes nuts.

The movie is wishing for an "anti-hero" vigalante and Travis Bickle is that anti hero.