TAXI DRIVER (1976) Cert 18
Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd. Directed by Martin Scorsese. (1hr 54m)

Martin Scorsese's unflinching plunge into the darkest recesses of the human soul still feels painfully relevant today. Bitter, reactionary and self-involved, anti-hero Travis Bickle represents a million disenfranchised, disillusioned, angry white men. Yet Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader never treat him with anything less than the utmost empathy. This is a man scarred by war, perplexed by the permissive society and desperate to leave his mark on a world that barely acknowledges his existence. Travis may wear his isolation proudly, but that doesn't make it any easier to bear. Almost 50 years on,  it's hard to think of another film that creates and sustains such a unique, evocative tone of dread blended with pity, loathing, savage humour and a scuzzy edge of New York cool. Bernard Herrmann's score sounds like the city breathing, ominous and clammy, while De Niro's performance is a masterclass in restraint and honesty. Still one of the pinnacles of cinema. Tom Huddleston, Time Out.