Taxi Driver

The single most astonishing character study ever committed to celluloid. Every aspect of the film displays a magnificent, chilling depth—Scorsese's direction, De Niro and Keitel's performances, Schrader's script, and Herrmann's score (completed just hours before he passed away in his sleep) all represent the pinnacle of the cinematic artform. What J.D. Salinger did for literature, Scorsese managed to do for cinema.