Taxi Driver 4K UHD Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Superlative encoding handles Taxi Driver's thickly layered grain structure. Undoubtedly, this wasn't an easy job. Consistency like this is rare and spectacular, especially from a film stock that often carries the traits of 16mm.

Behind that grain sits detail galore. Sharpness excels, drawing New York of the late '70s without sacrificing any texture. Facial definition jumps forward when in close, even as the camera pulls back. The 4K master reveals every capability of modern scanning, and the print itself is flawless.

Dolby Vision can't break all of the black crush (watch as De Niro tries hitting on the theater employee), but adds immeasurable visual value. Against the city's pitch black night, signs push impressive brightness via their lights. Overall contrast matures, elevating dimensionality. Bolder color adds more yellow to the taxis. Primaries look outright wealthy in their density. That saturation doesn't cost Taxi Driver tone.

Audio

Bringing over the DTS-HD 5.1 mix from the Blu-ray, the result is messy, imprecise, and coarse. Dialog pushes far with its treble, landing in a thick, even distorted high. That grit matches Taxi Driver's overall tone, but makes for harsh listening.

Bernard Herrman's score strums the bass in the low-end, smoother than the treble. Music fills the stereos and rears, while the rest stays strict in the center.