Overview
A desperate taxi driver finds himself in the midst of a historic uprising, risking everything for a chance at a better life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- harrowing
- humanist
- historical film night
- political cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised its accessible, emotionally powerful ground-level account of the Gwangju uprising, while noting formulaic melodrama and uneven action flourishes.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Man-seob begins as a taxi driver focused on unpaid rent and gradually witnesses the Gwangju crackdown alongside Peter.
Man-seob's profitable fare becomes an encounter with demonstrators, censorship, military violence, and collective resistance.
Checkpoint confrontations and the mountain-road chase stage metal-on-metal danger against open pastoral scenery.
Man-seob initially wants only the taxi fare but repeatedly risks his safety to help Peter and civilians reach the truth.
Films like A Taxi Driver, and why
The Killing Fields
shares a fact-based political drama structure, an ordinary protagonist drawn into state violence, and an emotionally accessible historical perspective
The Year of Living Dangerously
shares a grounded historical drama treatment of political repression, journalism, and civilians witnessing atrocities
No Escape
shares a tense road-bound journey through authoritarian violence, moral awakening, and ordinary people resisting oppression
1987: When the Day Comes
shares a Korean historical drama mode that combines suspense, action, and humanist emotion while confronting state brutality
Movie Details
- Director
- Jang Hoon
- Release Date
- 2017-08-02
- Runtime
- 138 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (1233)
Cast
- Song Kang-ho
- Thomas Kretschmann
- Yoo Hai-jin
- Ryu Jun-yeol
- Park Hyuk-kwon
- Choi Gwi-hwa
- Cha Soon-bae
- Shin Dam-su
- Ryu Sung-hyun
- Um Tae-goo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Taxi Driver about?
- A cash-strapped Seoul cabbie becomes an unlikely witness and accomplice to a foreign journalist documenting the Gwangju uprising.
- What is A Taxi Driver like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Taxi Driver as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is A Taxi Driver violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in A Taxi Driver as brutal.
- What did critics think of A Taxi Driver?
- Critics broadly praised its accessible, emotionally powerful ground-level account of the Gwangju uprising, while noting formulaic melodrama and uneven action flourishes.
- Which films are like A Taxi Driver?
- Films with a similar feel include The Killing Fields, The Year of Living Dangerously, No Escape, and 1987: When the Day Comes.
- How long is A Taxi Driver?
- A Taxi Driver runs 138 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Taxi Driver?
- In United States, A Taxi Driver streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
