8.8 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard HarrisDrama | 100% |
Crime | 59% |
Psychological thriller | 36% |
Thriller | 18% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Audiences have held a fascination with cinematic sociopaths for decades. American audiences especially. Is it the imperviousness to emotion? The idea of being an alien or pariah among the masses? The ability to take control by whatever means? To act out, lash out or aggress against society with no concept of guilt, shame or real consequence? Or do we just love a good killer? Whatever the case, Taxi Driver offers a startlingly accurate portrait of the kind of simple-intelligence loner that finds their way to violent ends, with little grasp on the world or its inhabitants. Travis Bickle is scary and sympathetic at the same time; a well-intentioned everyman, minus the "every", plus the one-two punch of isolationism and mental instability. The film's climactic conclusion is all but inevitable, as is Bickle's fate, but it's the unraveling of a human being that lies at the heart of Taxi Driver and exactly what has kept it front and center in filmfans' minds since it first shocked audiences in 1976. It remains shocking. Frightening, unnerving and compelling too. And it's only grown in power as we've come to better understand the overlooked dangers among us who would choose violence over reason and brutality over civil engagement as if choosing chocolate over vanilla ice cream.
Previously made available as part of Sony's 4K
Columbia Classics
Collection: Volume 2 box set, Taxi Driver has finally been issued a stand-alone 4K release. Much like the most recent
Blu-ray edition before it, yet wholly and completely superior, the 2160p UltraHD version is, in a word, stunning. It's not only far better than I expected it
to look, it's every bit the modern revitalization the film deserves. Sony hasn't altered the image's grainy disposition in the least, nor its darkness or
evocative, starkly colored cinematography. Faithfulness to the original elements is the name of the game here, which means we get the gritty, grimy
masterpiece Scorsese intended. The HDR-enhanced palette is awash with visceral reds and unsettling greens, and neither the restoration artists nor the
filmmakers are afraid to allow shadow to consume the foreground. Delineation is excellent, despite a handful of shots in which some will confuse the
limitations of natural lighting for black crush. Don't walk that path. If Scorsese shot it, and it exists on the negative, it's as visible as it's meant to be. If
darkness was allowed to consume detail, you obviously won't find any to unearth. And oh the detail. The film fares especially well during daytime hours,
with crisp edges (free of lazy artificial sharpening and other issues) and revealing fine textures. Nighttime scenes are just as exacting, so long as you're
viewing the film with a precisely calibrated display and a proper viewing environment. (If you love a bright room and "dynamic" picture settings, you
may find the image lacking, but that's on you.) Moreover, I didn't notice any blocking or banding, or anything that might suggest the encode is anything
less than immaculate.
For additional impressions of the 4K transfer, click
here.
The 4K Blu-ray release of Taxi Driver includes the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that has graced its most recent 1080p releases, which isn't a negative by any means. Martin Liebman writes that the mix "captures the very essence of Taxi Driver's varied soundtrack with ease," adding that "clarity and definition are top-shelf as they are." Click here to read a full audio review.
For those of you who love a good SteelBook, you're in for a real treat. The front and rear cover art is minimalist but striking, capturing the film's tone
and tenor in two shots. Inside, the 4K and 1080p discs overlap but are easy enough to remove (though I can't help but wish overlapping discs were a
thing of the past). A digital copy code is included as well. Extras are comprehensive and extensive; just don't expect much in the way of new content
that hasn't been made available before. The following is a breakdown of the special features you'll find:
There's no question: Taxi Driver is one of the best films to come out of the 1970s and arguably one of the best films of all time. Watching it in 4K is an experience unto itself, made that much more thrilling thanks to Sony's stunning 4K presentation, excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and massive assortment of supplements. This is, hands down, a must-own 4K release.
1976
1976
40th Anniversary Edition | Retro VHS Collection
1976
Mastered in 4K
1976
1976
40th Anniversary Edition
1976
1976
M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder
1931
2017
2013
4K Restoration
1971
2013
Filmmakers Signature Series | Remastered
1971
1971
2013
1999
1971
2019
2007
1973
1973
2014
1964
1991
1973
Se7en
1995
2007