Taxi Driver (1976) - 2/5

This movie is all over the place and extremely reluctant to explain anything, including character motivations. The audience is left to infer a lot, leaving much of the movie open to a lot of inconclusive speculation. It is a sleazy, hectic movie whose soundtrack uses city sound byte sampling at seemingly random times when it’s not layering on the easy-listening jazz at uncomfortable times. The main character is so unpredictable and unemotive that it’s impossible to tell what makes him happy, sad, or angry, even past the end of the film, which makes interpreting his motives nearly impossible. The nicest thing I can say about this relic of the 70’s is that it has good acting.

Content warning: violence, prostitution

Closest comparison: It’s like Joker (2019) by way of Apocalypse Now.

Setting: Noir Drama
Plot: Slice of Life
Tone: Gritty Tragedy

A Most Violent Year (2014) - 2/5

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the idea behind this movie, and the acting and cinematography are excellent. It’s just too slow to end up with little to no point justifying its existence. The stakes are always murkily abstract and the main characters don’t even seem to know how to accomplish them. Each potential solution is introduced almost immediately before being resolved, so the whole movie seems like its treading water.

Closest comparison: It’s like Wall Street (1987) by way of Inside Llewyn Davis.

Setting: Business Drama
Plot: Difficult Times
Tone: Slow Burn Drama