Taxi Driver - 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook

With apologies to James Joyce, A Portrait of a Psychotic Vigilante as a Young Man might be a good subtitle for Martin Scorsese's 1976 masterwork, Taxi Driver. Though Paul Schrader's dialogue might not sound as lyrical as the immortal Irish author's esteemed prose, it's nevertheless hypnotic and poetic, terse and direct...just like the cinematic style of Scorsese. Over the years, many fine directors have fashioned fine films from fine screenplays, but rarely has a script so perfectly suited the vision and style of a director, and rarely has the perfect actor also played the lead role. All the pieces of the puzzle snap snugly together in Taxi Driver, making it not just an artistic triumph, but also a supremely absorbing, layered, and, yes, entertaining motion picture.

Sure, we all remember Robert De Niro looking in the mirror, aiming his gun, sizing up an imaginary assailant with wide eyes and a slightly crazed smirk on his face and asking that loaded question, "You talkin' to me?" It's an iconic movie moment and quote, much like "Rosebud," "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," and "Go ahead, make my day," but it doesn't define Taxi Driver. The blossoming talent of Scorsese does, coupled with a timely - and in many ways timeless - story that continues to strike a nerve and provoke spirited discussion about society, law and order, and the complex circuitry of the human brain almost a half century after its premiere. And without De Niro's mesmerizing portrayal of the isolated, tortured, and disturbed Travis Bickle, it's difficult to determine whether the film would wield the same degree of impact.

A Vietnam War veteran, Travis epitomizes the lost, disassociated, often aimless men who returned home from an ugly, traumatic conflict and found it difficult to assimilate into organized society. He applies for a taxi driving job to try and escape his lonely and monotonous existence, as well as the nagging demons that needle him, and as he scrutinizes life from behind the wheel of his iron coffin, he's repulsed by the filth of both the New York streets and the human condition. Someone needs to clean it all up, he tells himself, planting a seed that will grow into a mission later on. Hope, however, in the form of cool blonde beauty Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), who works for a promising political candidate, briefly buoys Travis' spirits, but his inability to properly relate to her spurs a rapid inward retreat and ignites the smoldering violent tendencies lurking in his soul.

The bloodbath that comprises the Taxi Driver climax often overshadows the nuances that distinguish the bulk of the film, and that's a shame, because the movie's meat lies in its impeccable depiction of character. With methodical grace and searing insight, Scorsese and De Niro subtly paint a complex portrait of a man on the edge and the forces that lead him to the breaking point. Scorsese takes it slow, allowing us to get under Travis' skin and see the world through his warped perspective. We feel his desolation, the mounting fatalism and paranoia that consume him, and how the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cab and his tiny apartment turn him into a caged animal desperate to break out of his self-imposed incarceration.

As usual, Scorsese - aided immeasurably by cinematographer Michael Chapman - finds a way to make the repugnant strangely elegant and seductive, and the images he composes of New York's underbelly, coupled with the smooth jazz strains and dramatic accents of Bernard Herrmann's final score, heighten our connection to the material. Though his style doesn't flaunt the flash that would distinguish - and, at times, overshadow - his later works, it's no less impressive.

Of course, it's impossible to imagine anyone other than De Niro as Travis. Few other actors can convey such complexity with so little outward expression, and though his character is by turns creepy, pathetic, and edgy, he easily engenders our sympathy. De Niro never sugarcoats Travis, he merely makes him fascinating, a cryptic jumble of contradictions we all want to figure out. Since the movie opened 48 years ago, we've seen a lot of Travis Bickles on film and in real life, but De Niro crafted the mold, and his impression is the one that's most firmly etched in our collective consciousness.

The supporting cast never eclipses De Niro, but the stellar work of Jodie Foster as a child prostitute, Harvey Keitel as her pimp, Shepherd as the elusive, uptight beauty, Albert Brooks as her nerdy colleague, Peter Boyle as a pontificating cabbie, and even Scorsese himself in a cameo as one of Travis' weirdo passengers incisively complements his performance, drawing us deeper into his quiet, troubled existence. At the time, none of these actors were big stars, and it's a testament to Scorsese's eye and influence that all went on to have major careers.

Only in America could an antihero, in the blink of an eye, become a hero. Taxi Driver shows us - long before "15 minutes of fame" became a household phrase (let alone an aspiration) and social media consumed our existence - our society's desperate need for connection and attention, and its fickle obsession with those normal and unbalanced humans who seek it. Long ago, it inspired a sick individual to shoot a sitting president. Today, it merely inspires admiration - for its craft, structure, performances, and depiction of utter isolation, paranoia, and the twisted perceptions of a lost soul. Make no mistake, it's much more than a vigilante film.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

Taxi Driver arrives once again on 4K UHD, but this time it's packaged in a limited edition SteelBook packaging with artwork that perfectly fits this iconic masterpiece. (Sadly, the copy I received doesn't snugly shut.) Though the disc encode is slightly different from the Columbia Classics Vol. 2 4K UHD disc, the transfer is essentially identical. Video codec is 2160p/HEVC H.265 with Dolby Vision HDR and default audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. (The original mono soundtrack is also included in the DTS-HD Master Audio format.) The differences between discs is a different static image main menu and some of the foreign language tracks are no longer included. A second disc includes a 1080p copy of the movie sourced from the 4K master as well as several supplements, and a leaflet containing the code to access the Movies Anywhere digital copy is tucked inside the front cover. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu with music pops up immediately following the Sony Data Options screen. 

As referenced above, the 2160p/HEVC H.265 transfer with Dolby Vision HDR is exactly the same as the one on the Columbia Classics Vol. 2 4K UHD release. Here's what my colleague M. Enois Duarte had to say about it back in 2021:

The classic crime drama drives through the mean streets of Ultra HD with a sensationally beautiful HEVC H.265 encode while still maintaining the film's grimy, bleak aesthetic. Reportedly struck from a brand new remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives, the native 4K transfer comes with a welcomed uptick in overall definition and clarity, which is immediately apparent in the opening moments with Travis applying for the taxi driver position. 

The smallest imperfections in the buildings and the streets of New York City are distinct, every strand of hair is sharp, and the lettering in the political signs, billboards and handwritten notes are consistently legible. A spot-on contrast balance furnishing a brighter picture and clean, vivid whites throughout allows for stunning visibility in the far distance of the daylight sequences. Specular highlights further make the 4K video pop, as the neon lights intensely glow while revealing the finer details, the watery streets and the individual water droplets glisten and the metallic surfaces have a realistic sheen. A few sequences understandably fall short of its best, sharpest moments and are poorly resolved, mostly notably the climactic shootout. But all in all, the transfer offers an impressive upgrade over its HD SDR predecessors, awash in a fine layer of grain that's mostly consistent yet furnishes the results with a lovely film-like quality.

The strongest aspect of the Dolby Vision HDR presentation is, hands down, the improved wider color gamut and the brightness levels, providing the 1.85:1 image with eye-catching energy and glitzy swagger that nonetheless feels severely somber and dispirited. The streets at night are engulfed in bleak, velvety blacks that penetrate deep into the screen, and the silky midnight shadows retain incredible detailing within the darkest corners, with the aforementioned shootout being the one exception where the picture, unfortunately, falls flat. Nevertheless, Michael Chapman's cinematography benefits most from the richly-saturated primaries, particularly the rose-red of Betsy's outfits, the crimson of Palantine's campaign posters and Iris's room, and the deep ruby scarlet of the blood. The rest of the palette also enjoys a notable boost in the secondary hues with the truer canary yellows of the cab standing out while Travis always seems immersed in a varied, spirited assortment of greens and teals. 

Overall, the film is stunning, mesmerizing and has never looked better on any home video format as it does on UHD. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 86/100)

For my take on the 1080p Blu-ray transfer of Taxi Driver, read our review of the Blu-ray HERE.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is also exactly the same as the one included on previous 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions of Taxi Driver. Once again, here is M. Enois Duarte's take on this track:

For this Ultra HD edition, the classic crime drama drives into home theaters with an identical DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack as the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray. As much as an object-based option would have been greatly appreciated, this surround soundtrack is nonetheless an excellent lossless mix, especially when applying the receiver's Dolby Surround or DTS: Neural:X up-mixing functionality. This outfits the front-heavy design with a broader and more spacious presence, as various atmospherics convincingly pan across the entire soundstage while the score subtly and faintly bleeds into the sides and top heights without seeming forced or artificial. Also, the mid-range exhibits superb distinction and clarity throughout while vocals are precise and crystal clear, and an appropriately hearty low-end supplies some appreciable weight to the visuals. 

For a different take on the audio quality, you can read our review of the Blu-ray HERE. (Audio Rating: 82/100)

All the extras from all the various Taxi Driver Blu-ray releases (except for the Interactive Script to Screen feature) have been ported over to this SteelBook release. The huge supplemental package examines multiple aspects of this fascinating film, heightening both our understanding of its themes and admiration for the talents involved. All the material is absorbing and classily produced.

4K UHD Disc

• Documentary: "Making Taxi Driver" (HD, 71 minutes) – It's rare when all the principals from a major motion picture consent to be interviewed for a retrospective documentary a couple of decades after the film's release, but this 1999 salute includes remarks from Scorsese, De Niro, Foster, Shepherd, Brooks, Keitel, Boyle, and others as it explores such topics as casting, editing, costumes, makeup, music, and the movie's impact and legacy. Along the way, there are some great anecdotes that provide an intimate perspective on production, as well as the requisite collection of photos and clips. Some material is duplicated in subsequent featurettes, but this is still an essential examination for any true Taxi Driver fan.

• Featurette: "Intro to Storyboards by Martin Scorsese" (HD, 4 minutes) - The director talks about the importance of storyboards and how he personally employs them in his productions.

• Storyboard to Film Comparison (HD, 8 minutes) – Multiple clips are shown along with their respective storyboard drawings.

• Galleries (HD, 9 minutes) – This section is divided into four parts - "Bernard Herrmann Score," which includes reproductions of the composer's sheet music; "On Location," which features an array of black-and-white production photos; "Publicity Materials," which showcases an array of poster art and other behind-the-scenes stills; and "Scorsese at Work," which provides a number of rare snapshots of the director in his element. Sections of Herrmann's magnificent score accompany each chapter.

• 20th Anniversary Trailer (HD, 90 seconds) - The 20th anniversary preview hypes the newly minted stereo soundtrack and the film's impact.

Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, recorded in 1986 for the Criterion Collection and it's an engaging, often fascinating trip inside this classic film. The director dominates the track, sharing lots of entertaining anecdotes and thoughtful observations, all of which are distinguished by his brutal honesty and lively delivery. He talks about the influences of directors like George Stevens and Jean-Luc Godard, the unpleasant nature of filmmaking (a surprising admission), how the camera moves are reminiscent of horror films, and how he has tried to mold his own personality into a cinematic style. He also remembers composer Bernard Herrmann, addresses his close and symbiotic relationship with De Niro, and explains how he came to do his cameo in the movie. Schrader's contributions are much more limited, but no less interesting. He recalls, among other things, how he wrote the screenplay in a frenetic two-week period and based it on his own personal experiences, and how the most famous line in the film ("You talkin' to me?") is one he didn't write. If you only have the time or inclination for one commentary, this is the one to listen to.

• Audio Commentary featuring Robert Kolker who takes on the role of film professor as he delves into Scorsese's style, the fine points of plot and character, and the director's storytelling technique. He also notes the influence of such films as Psycho and The Searchers on Taxi Driver. This is a much drier track and a bit too didactic at times, but if you're looking for more narrative analysis, then this discussion fills the bill.

• Audio Commentary featuring Paul Schrader who dissects his script and provides the writer's perspective on filmmaking. He offers up some screenwriting tips, admits he got into scriptwriting as a form of "self-therapy" (not for monetary gain), and debunks censorship as a means of keeping real-life psychopaths from emulating and imitating those depicted on screen. Schrader makes some good points, but too many lengthy gaps separate them, making this track a bit of a chore to slog through.

• Tribeca Film Festival 40th Anniversary Q&A (HD, 42 minutes) - Director Martin Scorsese, writer Paul Schrader, producer Michael Phillips, and actors Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, and Harvey Keitel share their memories of the production during this absorbing Q&A session that followed a 2016 screening of Taxi Driver at the Tribeca Film Festival. Scorsese and Schrader rightfully dominate the discussion; Schrader talks about how the script-writing process was "self-therapy" and notes a "purgative power imbues the film," while Scorsese recalls the film was made from "passion" and didn't expect anyone to see it. But we hear surprisingly little from De Niro, Foster, and Shepherd, and that's a shame. We do hear how weather problems effected shooting, how De Niro's iconic mohawk was devised, how everyone was scared of eccentric composer Bernard Herrmann, and how "looking for a Cybill Shepherd type" resulted in Shepherd playing her role. Keitel also shares the funny story of how he and Scorsese first met and remembers picking the brain of an actual pimp to prepare for his part. Though a bit superficial, this breezy Q&A session is an entertaining diversion that fans of the film will certainly enjoy.

• Featurette: "Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver" (HD, 17 minutes) – This intimate 2007 interview allows the director to discuss such topics as the genesis of the project, how he gained the confidence of the producers despite his limited experience, the movie's gritty style, other films that have influenced him, and the personal nature of Taxi Driver.

• Featurette: "Producing Taxi Driver" (HD, 10 minutes) – Producer Michael Phillips recalls the events that led to his involvement with Taxi Driver, and how he corralled the talent and money to make the film in this interesting featurette.

• Featurette: "God's Lonely Man" (HD, 22 minutes) – Writer Paul Schrader talks about his background, education, and the personal experiences that led him to conceive Taxi Driver. He also outlines his creative process, discusses the evolution of Travis Bickle, and shares his views about the writer's role during production. Author Robert Kolker provides additional analysis and perspective in this probing look at the components of screenwriting.

• Featurette: "Influence and Appreciation: A Martin Scorsese Tribute" (HD, 18 minutes) – Director Oliver Stone (a student of Scorsese's at NYU), director Roger Corman (Scorsese's mentor), cinematographer Michael Chapman, actor Robert De Niro, and others recall how they met Scorsese, laud his supreme ability, and discuss the merits and impact of Taxi Driver in this celebratory featurette. A few clips from Scorsese's other films would have enhanced this tribute, but the well-spoken words of his colleagues suffice.

• Featurette: "Taxi Driver Stories" (HD, 22 minutes) – Actual New York cabbies who worked during the 1970s share their experiences, address the profession's loneliness, and discuss what they learned driving a taxi in this low-key, interesting inside look.

• Featurette: "Travis' New York" (HD, 6 minutes) – Former New York mayor Ed Koch and director of photography Michael Chapman expound on the seedy atmosphere that was Travis' milieu in the mid-'70s.

• Featurette: "Travis' New York Locations" (HD, 5 minutes) – This compare-and-contrast piece employs a split screen to show how nine New York locations looked when the film was shot in 1975, and how they looked in 2006.

• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 minutes) – An updated, innovative trailer for Taxi Driver that hypes the upcoming 2007 collector's DVD is included.

The limited edition steelbook edition of Taxi Driver contains the same excellent Dolby Vision transfer as the 2021 Columbia Classics Vol. 2 4K UHD disc, the same high-quality DTS-MA 5.1 audio track as its myriad Blu-ray predecessors, and the same comprehensive extras package that has graced almost every home video release of Scorsese's masterwork over the past 15 years. The only difference is the classy SteelBook packaging that truly sets this edition apart from those that came before it. If you're a Scorsese aficionado, De Niro fanatic, or avid physical media collector, you'll want to add this attractive release to your shelf. Highly Recommended.