Taxi Driver has received considerable attention over the years, and I don’t want to contribute more to that discussion, but it serves as my standard against which I judge all other films; it’s easily my favorite movie of all time. Its unflinching portrayal of reality and exploration of themes like paranoia, mental health struggles, and societal decline have led to countless imitations and references since its release in 1976. Robert De Niro delivers an outstanding performance as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam War veteran experiencing PTSD and paranoia who becomes a New York City taxi driver because he can't sleep. Travis is out of step with the world around him, disgusted by pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, and all sorts of lowlifes; he gradually descends into a drugged and sleepless state to become a one-man army determined to eliminate anyone he sees as part of the problem. His interactions with fellow cabbies, Betsy (Shepherd), a campaign worker for a Presidential candidate, Iris, a teenage prostitute (Foster), and her pimp “Sport” (Keitel) drive his destructive goal of cleansing New York City. His attempt at a normal relationship with Betsy, which involves taking her to a movie she dislikes, ends badly, largely because of Travis’s apparent lack of understanding about what's considered appropriate or tasteful entertainment. While working as a nighttime cabbie, he has some strange encounters, including one with a man who is intensely jealous and shows Travis the location where his wife is having an affair. He also briefly picks up Iris, only to have her forced out by Sport, who throws him a dirty twenty-dollar bill for the inconvenience. This prompts Travis to make it his mission to rescue Iris while simultaneously becoming a threat to the visiting Presidential candidate. The film remains relevant today because social media and other technological and societal advancements have led to a new erosion of values, with many people seeking fifteen minutes of fame by any means necessary, often selling their souls for notoriety. I’m captivated by De Niro's performance as Travis; it’s complex, portraying a man who is angry, naive, sleep-deprived, lonely, a sociopath, and a killer all at once. A scene in the Presidential campaign office, where he is rejected by Betsy because of their disastrous date and then confronted and threatened by the opportunistic and condescending campaign staffer Tom (Brooks), showcases De Niro's range as he shifts from apologetic to angry and ready for a fight. De Niro received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for this role. The presentation on blu-ray is very good; the picture quality is excellent, skin tones look natural, and the audio allows the score and subtle ambient sounds to really stand out—it’s exceptionally well done considering it was filmed in the mid-1970s.

Source on TMDB