15.) Quote
"Loneliness has followed me my whole life"
Pure and powerful poetry.
16.) Are You Talking To Me?
Travis stands in his living room, gun in hand and utters the famous quote at himself in the mirror. The follow-up line "I'm the only one here" is perhaps the most haunting delivery in the film as we realise that Travis is a man not only isolated from society but isolated from rules too. He makes his own law and it is one leading him down a dark and deadly path. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgcVLOe9qFM
17.) Robert De Niro's Performance
If there is one actor who shouldn't be defined by one performance then it is Robert De Niro but to me he will always be Travis Bickle. This is the greatest performance ever committed to celluloid with the actor completely immersed in his role giving it everything both physically and emotionally to bring to life an enigmatic, troubled soul. He makes you both connect and feel ill at ease in his presence.
18.) Perspective Shots
There are many uncomfortable shots in Taxi Driver where Scorsese forces us into Travis Bickle's shoes as the camera makes us linger over certain people who the protagonist has an unmotivated dislike for particuarly African Americans. These moments are used to remind us that Travis is no friend of ours - we may be able to relate to him but we are forced at times to acknowledge that there is an extremely dark side to his character which we want no part of. A very admirable element of Scorsese's films is that he is not afraid to paint his characters with shades of gray, he realises that liking the main character is not essential, we just have to be intrigued by their actions and behaviour.
19.) Tagline
"On every street in every city there's a nobody who dreams of being somebody."
Of course in more modern times this idea of being "somebody" has less to do with doing something artistic or profound but rather having five minutes of fame in front of a camera.