Taxi Driver

An impeccable character study and time capsule of New York City's underbelly in the 1970s. Here we see the post-effects of the Vietnam War echo alongside economic hardship, racial opinion, and the increasingly manic character that Robert De Niro brings to life. This is in my opinion, De Niro at his best, but only one of Scorsese's home runs. Herrmann's jazz noir theme sets the stage for the entire film and is perhaps the best thing that Taxi Driver owes its soul to. It's warm, inviting, and simply beautiful, even in the tiniest dreamlike moments of riding around in a NYC cab.