[Scarface]

I'm not that 'scholary' either, but I do love movies. 'Taxi Driver' is an important movie, as it deals with many emotions and themes which run constant. It offers a close character study of an unstable mind, and is also a dark social commentary.

*SPOILERS*

First off, Travis Bickle. Scarred both physically and mentally by Vietnam (unless he was already unstable before he entered the war), Bickle is disgusted by the state of society, the 'scum' that lurk at night. In one scene he claims the 'smell' of the street gives him a headache. He drives a taxi day and night, pops pills, and pours whiskey on his cereal. We could easily interpret that its because of this unhealthy life style that he gets these headaches.

He feels he has to do something, but he doesn't quite no what. He tries to 'save' a woman, but with him not knowing how to act in normal life, he takes her to a pornographic movie. She leaves. He has failed, later calling to her: "You're living in a hell, and you're going to die in a hell." He then has two encounters with another person, a young girl - a thirteen year old prostitute - who he feels he must save from a pimp called Sport.

Bickle is a self-destructive character, which we can tell by his lifestyle, and of course, the ending. He is confused on what to do, and after the encounter with the almost psychotic husband, comes to a decision. Wipe them out.

The ending is ambiguous, did Travis survive? Or was it all a fantasy? We will never know, and it all comes down to interpretation. Many of these themes still play in a part of our society today, prostitution, underage sex, drugs, 'scum', love, anger and loneliness.

Anyway, that's what I think, I haven't even started yet. I could really dig deep into the story, giving references to scenes, speech, weapons, etc. Ah well, maybe when I have more time.