A Love Letter to "Taxi Driver"

I've seen Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" a ridiculous number of times, but no matter how much I revisit it, it still astonishes. It's so sophisticated, it's like watching a movie from the future that happens to have been made forty years ago--so much more modern than any 21st century movies. The sheer virtuosity of the thing, the incredible balance of bleakness and humor, every last element coalescing into a perfect alchemy of genius . . . And I would love to hear spoiled NYC hipsters' reactions to rancid old '70s Manhattan: "You can't fool me--that's not Manhattan! That's the Gaza Strip! Or Mordor! It HAS to be!"