BLU-RAY RELEASE OF THE WEEK

It's sad that Robert DeNiro has resigned himself to star in weak comedies and bloated buddy action flicks. The truly tragic part of it is that kids nowadays have no clue just how frightening he was in his heyday.

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver is out this week in high-definition, and it should be a must-see for everyone--particularly those fond of prostitutes and political assassinations. Travis Bickle (DeNiro) is a former Marine living in Manhattan who finds work driving a cab around the city all hours of the evening. He befriends Iris (a young Jodie Foster), a child of the night, and makes it his personal mission to save her from her pimp, Strong (Harvey Keitel). As you can see, the cast is fantastic (Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks, Peter Boyle also star, among others), making every minute on screen riveting.

Pay especially close attention to the ending, for not only the bloody climactic closure, but also the dénouement, as it makes you question what was real, and what went on in Bickle's severely deranged psyche.

Also creepy is the fact that John Hinkley Jr--the man behind the attempted execution of President Ronald Reagan in 1981--claimed it was his obsession over Foster (12-years old at the time) that made him act.