The seventies in Hollywood saw a new breed of film director striking out, that included George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese.

It just so happened that they were all friends, and looked out for each other in the industry, to varying degrees.

For instance, De Palma had a script that he though Scorsese might be interested in, and gave it to him to check out. It was Taxi Driver.

Now Scorsese’s classic is being re-released to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary for everyone to hail down once again.

Working on the streets of New York City as a cab driver is Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro).

He struggles to sleep, which may have something to do with being an ex-marine and Vietnam vet, so he spends most of his time working through the night, sometimes for 12 hours straight.

He keeps very much to himself, but he is mesmerised by a young woman who is working the presidential campaign of a senator, so much so that he builds the courage to approach her at her place of work.

It goes well for him too, but doesn’t last, and its swift ending is the catalyst for his own personal dark journey.

This was the second time that Scorsese and De Niro worked together, following up on 1973’s Mean Streets, and would help cement their on-going relationship to this day.

It’s a noir-inspired drama, revealing the loneliness and isolation of a young man, despite living and working in the constant hustle and bustle of NYC.

His remoteness from the city – and the world at large – is evident throughout, so much so that a narration is occasionally used from Bickle’s diary entry, that confirms his fragile state of mind that couldn’t be revealed from his dialogue with other characters.

It’s a psychological journey, of a lost soul trying to find himself, and in not being able to do that successfully, attempts redemption instead.

It also tackles issues of violence and prostitution, which led to Bickle’s encounter with a 12-year-old prostitute, played by Jodie Foster (for which she was Oscar-nominated), that only adds to the discomfort of the film overall.

And although it was nominated for four Oscars, it didn’t win any, but it was a tough year, that saw De Niro up against Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) and William Holden (Network), with all three of them losing to Peter Finch in the Best Actor category for Network.

It may well be fifty years old, but it still manages to excel with its exploration of men’s health, trying to find himself in a big, bad city, and still serves as a significant first stepping stone for the remarkable careers of both its star and director.