Taxi Driver & 9 Other Best Paul Schrader Screenplays Ranked According To IMDb
Taxi Driver & 9 Other Best Paul Schrader Screenplays, Ranked According To IMDb
Paul Schrader is an American screenwriter, director, and film critics. Here are his best screenplays based on IMDb ratings.
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Paul Schrader is an American screenwriter, director, and film critic. He rose to prominence during the 1970s during Hollywood’s New Age. Over the next years, he’d write, or in some cases co-write, the screenplays for four of Martin Scorsese’s seminal films: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Bringing out the Dead.
Despite his many memorable and acclaimed films as both a writer and director, Schrader would receive his first Oscar nomination until 2018 for writing the underrated First Reformed. Still, his body of work speaks for itself and remains highly rated in sites like IMDb, cementing his legacy as one of cinema’s most prolific screenwriters.
10 American Gigolo – 6.2
American Gigolo is a 1980 neo-noir drama, best known as the film that launched Richard Gere’s career. It tells the story of Julian Kaye, a high-priced Los Angeles sex worker who becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. The film also holds the somewhat infamous distinction of featuring one of the first cases of full-frontal male nudity in a mainstream Hollywood film.
The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box-office success. It also featured one of rock band Blondie’s most successful singles, “Call Me.”
9 The Mosquito Coast – 6.6
Based on the 1981 novel of the same name, The Mosquito Coast stars Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and the late River Phoenix. It tells the story of a family that moves from the US and into the jungles of Central America, where they try to find a simpler and happier life. Things quickly take a turn when the patriarch becomes erratic and aggressive.
The Mosquito Coast is notable for featuring Harrison Ford in a rare antagonistic role. However, it was a box-office bomb and received lackluster reviews at the time of its release. Modern reevaluations of the film have been more positive, and it currently holds a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes.
8 Light Sleeper – 6.8
The second collaboration between Schrader and Willem Dafoe, Light Sleeper is a 1992 crime drama film. It centers on a high-class drug dealer who becomes embroiled in a series of tragic events after a chance encounter with a former lover. It co-stars Susan Sarandon and Dana Delany.
Light Sleeper received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise going to Dafoe’s performance. The film disappointed at the box office, though, but remains highly regarded by critics and film lovers alike.
7 Obsession – 6.8
Obsession was one of Schrader’s first films, released in the same year as Taxi Driver. Directed by Brian De Palma and starring Cliff Robertson, Genevieve Bujold, and John Lithgow, it tells the story of a man who falls in love with the exact look-alike of his dead wife.
Heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Vertigo, Obsession is one of Schrader’s least favorite films. De Palma made substantial changes to the screenplay, leading Schrader to lose interest in the project. Still, Obsession was an unexpected box office success, becoming De Palma’s commercial breakthrough.
6 Affliction – 7.0
Despite first premiering at the 1997 Venice Film Festival, Affliction didn’t premiere until December 1998. Starring Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek, and Willem Dafoe, the film follows Wade Whitehouse, a small-town policeman whose obsession with a fatal accident leads him down a tragic path.
Affliction was a commercial let-down but received critical praise, particularly for Nolte and Coburn’s performances. Both received Academy Award nominations, with the latter winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
5 First Reformed – 7.1
First Reformed is one of Schrader’s most critically acclaimed projects. Starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried, it tells the story of a Protestant minister serving as the pastor of a dwindling New York church and struggling with his fate.
Critically acclaimed and considered one of the best films of 2017, First Reformed earned Schrader his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Hawke’s performance also received numerous accolades but was infamously snubbed at the Oscars.
4 Blue Collar – 7.5
Blue Collar was Schrader’s directorial debut. Co-written with his brother, Leonard, it stars Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel. Blue Collar is a critique of union practices and a raw depiction of the working class, somewhat lightened by Pryor’s comedic sensibilities.
The film received universal acclaim from critics and was a moderate commercial success. Blue Collar is also notorious for its troubled production. Schrader clashed with the actors, including the two stars, and suffered a mental breakdown which made him seriously consider his career.
3 The Last Temptation Of Christ – 7.5
Widely considered one of the most controversial films of all time, The Last Temptation of the Christ was Schrader’s third collaboration with Martin Scorsese. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ and depicts his life and struggle with fear, doubt, reluctance, and various forms of temptation.
The film underperformed commercially and failed to get any major critical recognition, other than Scorsese’s Oscar nomination for Best Director. In fact, the film received a Razzie Award nomination for Harvey Keitel’s supporting performance.
2 Raging Bull – 8.2
Widely considered a modern masterpiece, Raging Bull is one of Scorsese’s greatest triumphs. Featuring a bravura performance from Robert De Niro, Raging Bull centers on Italian-American middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, following his troubled and self-destructive personal life.
The film achieved moderate success at the box office. Reviewers universally praised De Niro’s performance but criticized the film for its excessive violence. Nevertheless, it received a leading eight nominations at the 53rd Academy Awards, winning De Niro his second Oscar.
1 Taxi Driver – 8.3
Taxi Driver was Schrader’s first project following his screenwriting debut, The Yakuza. It also marked the second collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, following Mean Streets. Set in a morally bankrupt New York City, the film follows the rapidly deteriorating mental state of war veteran Travis Bickle.
Schrader got inspiration from Arthur Bremer’s diaries, as well as his own experience battling chronic insomnia. A critical and commercial success, Taxi Driver received four nominations at the 49th Academy Awards, including Best Actor for De Niro. It remains one of the most influential films of all time, inspiring several movies to this day.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/taxi-driver-best-paul-schrader-screenplays-imdb/
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