Taxi Driver - 1976

I have never done a movie review, not even for Kamal's Dasavatharam. But today I watched Taxi Driver and decided that I better write something on this outstanding movie. In this 1976 movie Robert De Niro plays the lead as a mentally unstable war-veteran. This is by far one of the best movies I have seen. Let me make an attempt at doing a review.

Martin Scorsese has in this timeless classic shown the world long ago the seeds of psychotic abnormalism. The character of Travis Bickle captures every dimension of human decay. The war veteran is somehow not really part of the society and we cannot attribute one single reason for this. May be some sort of suppressed sexuality, may be some effects of the Vietnam-war or plainly a lack of identity. His insomnia doesn't help either. He takes up the job of a night cab-driver and the nights in New York are best described by his one dialogue "All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets".

Travis develops a strong crush on Betsy(a campaign volunteer) and on their second date takes her to watch a porn movie (I can hear u scream, Holy ....) and very obviously she drops him. It is after this that we realize that his schizoid behavior is actually coming out of the fact that he is searching to find a purpose for his life. A fellow cabbie introduces him to guns and Travis decides that he is going to clean up the corruption and dirt around him. He meets Iris, a teenage prostitute played by Jodie Foster, and tries to convince her to get away from prostitution and fails in his attempt. He works hard on his marksmanship and he continues to grow violent and more alienated.

The story moves on as Travis makes another failed attempt at assassinating Palantine, the presidential hopeful for whom Betsy volunteered before all his repressions finally culminate in a gory gun battle to save Iris. What is more poignant is the fact that police and Iris's parents eventually construe that Travis saved their daughter and helped get rid of some dangerous gang men. Well, we are forced to think that at last Travis gets some meaning out of his life. But there is nothing in the movie that proves that the incident changed him. When Betsy happens to ride on his taxi later he says "Papers always blow these things up".

The movie ends here leaving you wondering if this man will strike again. It is a strange feeling I bet you. But do watch this movie...silently with no one disturbing you...The BGM is one of the best I have heard. The melancholy saxophone can bring out the deepest and darkest feelings inside us and I was shocked to read that Bernard Herrmann, the composer passed away a few hours after he finished this score.

For now listen to the BGM here

After a while

It has been sometime since I posted. It is just over a month since I moved to Pune. I'm slowly getting into the groove with my job. Figured out that the work here is very niche and the company's strength lies in its expertise and culture. The pedigrees are very impressive but the process capabilities don't really impress me. Let me see how much of a change I can bring about. I have to travel to USA for 2-3 weeks in September and hopefully I'll visit NY (The one important place I missed in my 3 year stay in US last time). On a side thought I also think consulting is a little hyped up. A medley of feelings crop up in the first month itself. Anyways lets see how my opinion shapes up with time.

A few botheration's outside work have cropped up, things that I would rather not blog about. Hopefully everything will become alright soon.

I hear a lot of people crib about recognition this and that. I have also done that a lot in the past. My suggestion is we should first think how many times have we have appreciated and recognized God, his creations and his great grand scheme. Well if that's what God gets from mankind we ought to set more realistic expectations. Adieu!