[4K Ultra HD Review] Taxi Driver (Steelbook); Now Available From Sony | Screen-Connections (2025)

Taxi Driver (Limited Edition Steelbook) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks

Release Date: July 2, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 10/10

Synopsis:

Winner of the prestigious Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival (1976) and nominated for 4 Academy Awards® including Best Picture (1976), TAXI DRIVER stars Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s classic film of a psychotic New York cabbie driven to violence by loneliness and desperation. Co-starring Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle and Cybill Shepherd.

The beloved masterpiece ‘Taxi Driver’ follows a conflicted veteran who takes a job driving a taxi in New York City as a way to keep himself busy and try to quiet his increasingly troublesome thoughts about the state of the city and the plethora of scum and misery that plagues it. Finding solace in his work and attempting to start a relationship with a gorgeous woman working for a politician, eventually as things start to fall apart he can’t take the chaos running through his head anymore and decides to start preparing and training himself to take matters into his own hands.

The iconic film was directed by legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese from a screenplay written by Paul Schrader, Scorsese does a stellar job at the helm of ‘Taxi Driver’ guiding along one of his first bigger films with care and passion. The film’s noteworthy cast includes Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle and Cybill Shepherd who each contribute worthy performances in their respective roles that helped to make this one something truly special and has further helped it stand the test of time.

‘Taxi Driver’ has become a film with a truly impressive legacy over the years and helped to further launch the careers of filmmaker Martin Scorsese and its star Robert De Niro, both of which were working prior to its release but have had their legacies connected to it in the decades since, and understandably so. The film began with an uncertain studio relenting after certain factors helped paved the way and in the nearly fifty years since its 1976 debut has become one of the most beloved films of that era and is regarded as a masterpiece by many, and for good reason. It’s powerful, yet slow burn tale of a struggling veteran who takes a job driving a taxi to keep him occupied but only helps to fuel his anger as he watches the city fall apart before him gained more attention than expected during the era it was released and has only become more popular and acclaimed in the decades since.

The film is definitely a product of its time in many ways but it doesn’t detract from what it accomplished by any means and it still delivers a thrilling, terrifying and powerful journey that makes an engaging and unforgettable viewing experience today, cemented by marvelous performances from the cast and the expert guidance of a young Scorsese whose career had only begun to take off. If you’ve never had the pleasure of ‘Taxi Driver’ but tend to enjoy similar films then I can’t urge you strongly enough to go out of your way to give it a chance whenever possible. The film is a masterpiece for good reason and shouldn’t be missed by anyone who is a fan of cinema, De Niro or Scorsese.

‘Taxi Driver’ arrives home once again from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in a new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release that features a gorgeous Ultra High Definition video presentation of the film with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 restored from the original camera negative and it’s safe to say that it’s never looked better than it does here. The noteworthy UHD video presentation is nicely boosted by a fully competent DTS-HD MA multichannel soundtrack and a Blu-ray copy of the film, not to mention featuring numerous hours of entertaining and informative extras including a making of documentary, multiple audio commentaries (but only on the Blu-ray disc) and much, much more; all packaged within a solid and sturdy Steelbook case that interestingly features a rough front and glossy rear texture. Diehard fans of Martin Scorsese’s cinematic masterpiece who are fully 4K capable and weren’t up for purchasing the Columbia Classics limited set that it was originally exclusively available in will definitely want to consider picking up a copy of this one which is very highly recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook release of ‘Taxi Driver’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, restored from the original camera negative and presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks magnificent as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that stays faithful to its filmic look, complete with a rich grain structure throughout. Detail is outstanding at nearly every turn and noticeable on faces, clothing and the NYC streets, as well as vehicles and everything else appearing onscreen at one point or another. The Dolby Vision HDR also nicely complements much of it by contributing more vivid and accurate colors which stand out on the yellow cab and various pieces of clothing and scenery along the way. Overall, this is a tremendous Ultra High Definition video presentation that stays true to the film’s roots while improving the appearance across the board and fans should be thoroughly thrilled with the results.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack may not stand out in the same way as the video presentation but it’s far from disappointing and provides a clean, crisp and at times somewhat immersive audio presentation. It takes advantage of all five available channels in order to send music, along with some action and vehicle effects, bits of crowd chatter and other tidbits throughout the various speakers, while never allowing any simultaneously occurring dialogue or other audio elements to become problematic or rendered inaudible in the process. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that holds up well and should satisfy fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook release of ‘Taxi Driver’ is absolutely jam-packed with hours of notable extras spread between both discs. I’ve broken down the extras by disc below for easier navigation.

Disc 1 (4K UHD) includes the fascinating making of Documentary ‘Making Taxi Driver’ (running approximately 71 minutes in length), along with a ‘Storyboard to Film Comparison’ (running approximately 8 minutes) as well as an ‘Intro to Storyboards by Martin Scorsese’ (approximately 4 minutes). Also included on the disc are 4 ‘Photo Galleries’; Bernard Hermann Score, On Location, Publicity Materials, and Scorsese at Work. The film’s 20^th Anniversary ‘Trailer’ (approximately 90 seconds) is also included.

Disc 2 (Blu-ray) features hours of additional extras including 3 Audio Commentaries, the first being an ‘Original 1986 Audio Commentary with Director Martin Scorsese and Writer Paul Schrader Recorded by the Criterion Collection’, in addition to an ‘Audio Commentary with Professor Robert Kolker’ and an ‘Audio Commentary with Writer Paul Schrader’. Also included on the disc is the ‘Tribeca Film Festival 40^th Anniversary Q & A’ (running approximately 42 minutes in length) along with various Featurettes, retrospectives and other entertaining videos including ‘Producing Taxi Driver’ (running approximately 10 minutes), ‘God’s Lonely Man’ (approximately 22 minutes), ‘Influence and Appreciation: A Martin Scorsese Tribute’ (18 minutes), ‘Taxi Driver Stories’ (22 minutes), ‘Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver’ (17 minutes), plus ‘Travis’ New York’ (6 minutes) and ‘Travis’ New York Locations’ (5 minutes altogether). The film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (3 minutes) is also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 10/10

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Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD as A Limited Edition Steelbook from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘Taxi Driver’ on 4K UHD Steelbook at Amazon HERE!

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