In May, 1980, the Gwangju Democratization Movement was brutally suppressed with innumerable citizen casualties. The massacre in Gwangju was thoroughly concealed, and on-the-scene reporting was virtually impossible even for foreign journalists. German reporter Jurgen Hintzpeter was exceptional, and the photographs he took in Gwangju became a powerful testament in showing the world what really happened. A Taxi Driver is based on the story about the cab-driver who helped Hintzpeter cover the events in Gwangju. Song Kang-ho, an outstanding actor, played the cab-driver, depicting in a quite natural way the process of awakening from his petit bourgeois stupor with no political awareness. He witnesses wanton slaughter, and the innocent blood of civilians turns his conscience and makes him return to Gwangju after abandoning Hintzpeter. To this end, the film depicts the massacre using exaggerated close-ups and unrealistic villains. Notwithstanding these aesthetic controversies, the film received enthusiastic audience response. A Taxi Driver reminded the more than 10 million Koreans who saw it of the heroism of ordinary people. (NAM Dong-chul)