My Favorite Movie

I really do not have one single favorite movie, but definitely in my Top 5 is the 1976 Martin Scorsese classic, Taxi Driver.



Robert De Niro's performance is magnificent. Portraying the complex personality of Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, De Niro draws you into the dark world of a character who is part psycho, part hero. Travis Bickle is battling inner demons, just as we all do. And just like most people, his intensions are good-- but Travis is very unrefined, and obviously affected by his time in Vietnam. De Niro makes you pull for him one moment, but then makes you pissed at him the next, when he does something stupid like take the beautiful Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) to an adult movie for their first date.

This movie is a glimpse into the dark underbelly of a society that most people dare not enter. What happens long after the sun goes down, in the seediest areas of the city. How do people end up there? Can they ever escape? Will Travis Bickle be able to rescue the lovely Iris from her pimp? Will he carry-out his plan to assasinate a presidential candidate?

More importantly, will Travis make a difference in the world he lives? Will his legacy be that of a hero or of a villain? I believe many of these same dicotomies exist in each of us...and the resolution of our inner conflicts, ultimately decide our own fates.