Fury
2014USA★ 7.54.5 pt match
What ties these together is loss of innocence and sacrifice. Both circle the same ground: life under oppression and national identity. Same energy: bleak, brutal, escalating, and slow build to explosion.
A Taxi Driver
택시운전사
2017South KoreaLanguage: koDirected by Jang Hoon★ 8
Available in English: subtitled
May, 1980. Man-seob is a taxi driver in Seoul who lives from hand to mouth, raising his young daughter alone. One day, he hears that there is a foreigner who will pay big money for a drive down to Gwangju city. Not knowing that he’s a German journalist with a hidden agenda, Man-seob takes the job.
Themes and style
Tone
bleakhopefulbrutalwarmhaunting
Pacing
slow burnescalatingslow build to explosion
Story
journeyescapesurvival
Emotion
guiltsacrificeloss of innocencefeeling powerlessthe family you choose
Themes
life under oppressioncorrupt institutionsnational identityclass and money
Feel
gut punchcatharticemotionally wreckingdiscussion startercrowd pleaser
Violence
graphicWhere to watch
Hollywood films like A Taxi Driver
If A Taxi Driver hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.
Upgrade
2018USA★ 7.53 pt match
Like A Taxi Driver, this one is rooted in loss of innocence and feeling powerless. The world both films live in revolves around class and money and corrupt institutions. Both move the same way too, bleak, brutal, and escalating.
Lone Survivor
2013USA★ 7.43 pt match
What ties these together is sacrifice and guilt. They share the same lens on national identity and life under oppression. Same energy: bleak, brutal, slow burn, and escalating.
Man on Fire
2004USA★ 7.53 pt match
What ties these together is guilt and sacrifice. The world both films live in revolves around class and money, corrupt institutions, and life under oppression. Same energy: bleak, brutal, slow burn, and slow build to explosion.