**The Good**:

+ Very sharp and memorable dialogue.
+ A score that is both haunting, playful and sensual, perfectly capturing the feel of the film.
+ **Martin Scorsese** tells his story expertly using close-ups, sweeping shots and well-placed imagery.
+ The entire film balances on De Niro's layered performance. Travis Bickle is a fascinating character in his simplicity and naivety and at the same time, he is complex in his madness and obsession. Either way, De Niro performs impeccably.
+ The chemistry between De Niro and both Foster and Shepherd is great.
+ What starts out as a slightly uncomfortable romance turns into a mystery and a crime thriller - the loner turns into a vigilante.
+ Several memorable moments including the scene in the taxi with the husband, the conversation with the Secret Service guy, the "You talkin' to me?" sequence...
+ Shows that dark, gritty and filthy side of NYC that is so central to Bickle's motives.
+ A 12-year-old **Jodie Foster** totally steals the show in her small but impressive part.
+ Deep down, _Taxi Driver_ is a story about loneliness, madness and mental disorder.

**The Bad**:

- The dialogue oftentimes feels abstract and philosophical and very rarely advances the plot itself.
- The first hour is not very interesting.
- There are plenty of scenes that feel like padding or filler and they interrupt the natural flow of the film.
- I had difficulties grasping the actual motives of the characters as well as the political and societal undertones of the script or the whole point of the film.
- There is a proper build-up to the core of the story but after that, the film goes nowhere until it suddenly arrives at a conclusion.
- The entire subplot with Betsy and Palantine feels superfluous since they are barely even in the film.

**Verdict**:
It's a simple story with a powerful message - but even De Niro's Oscar-worthy performance can't save a film that suffers from a simplicity and lack of supporting characters.