I hadn't seen Taxi Driver until about four years ago and after the first time I saw it I didn't particularly like it. Things were a little different then in terms of how I watched movies. Before starting this site I pretty much only watched new movies, I went to the theater maybe three times a year to only see the action spectacles and movies prior to Top Gun weren't really on my radar. As a matter of fact, Taxi Driver came out almost a year to the date before I was born, and it isn't like watching Star Wars or one of today's superhero movies. The film Martin Scorsese creates here is a complicated dive into the human psyche and one more example of how those movies I never used to watch will someday be the only movies I watch.

Taxi Driver can be talked about from every angle and we can thank it for pretty much sealing the deal in regards to the Scorsese-De Niro partnership, and it almost didn't happen. Watching the multitude of special features on this disc will tell you just how passionate the filmmakers were about getting this picture made and how no one wanted to make it, that was until Scorsese showed just how great of a director he was and De Niro went out and won the Oscar for The Godfather II. Hmmm, the things you have to do to prove yourself in Hollywood.

De Niro's portrayal of Vietnam War vet turned insomnia ridden taxi driver begins with a character looking to make a connection with anyone that will listen, it doesn't matter who, but there are those that bubble to the surface as top candidates. Most prominent is Betsy played by Cybill Shepherd and she soon becomes just a stepping stone toward madness.

This collector's edition is fantastic in the way that its featurettes actually make you like the film more. If you have questions there are two brand new commentaries, one with screenwriter Paul Schrader and another with professor Robert Kolker. Both commentaries complement each other quite well with Schrader's being the less chatty of the two while Kolker examines every scene to the utmost.

Beyond that are four other featurettes which include comments from Scorsese, De Niro, producers Michael and Julia Phillips and more from Schrader. Every inch of production from the film's inception to the final release and success, much to the surprise of those involved as they will tell you they never thought it would be big, they just wanted to see it get made and made the way it was written. As a matter of fact, there is a point in which Schrader gives you a quick lesson in how he writes scripts. If you like films such as Taxi Driver or Raging Bull you may want to give it a listen.

There are a couple of cool little extra goodies to take note of. The first is a "Taxi Driver Stories" featurette, which is rather self explanatory, but I will tell you that it is a collection of interviews and conversations about taxi driving in New York. Then you have a really cool feature called "Travis' New York" which takes a look at 1976 New York from the movie in a split screen direct comparison to the New York of today. For me the comparison wasn't as much shocking as it was interesting just to see the difference and to see that those places really do exist and that the architecture in a lot of them hasn't really changed.

This is a collector's edition worth a look for anyone that is at all interested in this classic. Until now Taxi Driver has never really had a proper DVD release and considering the film's style and grit it doesn't really necessitate a new restored transfer as the grittier it is on screen the more immersed in the film you get. This is a fantastic release and as I said before, if you like this film or not the features on this disc will ensure you like it even more.