Taxi Blues

Taxi Blues (1990)

80% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(20 ratings)

Directed By: Pavel Lounguine
Written By: Pavel Lounguine
Genres: Art House & International

On DVD: Oct 28, 1992

Critic Reviews

Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
Hits some joyful notes even while playing a somber tune.

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

In "Taxi Blues," Ivan(Pyotr Zaychenko), a burly cab driver in Moscow, has to deal with the usual nuisances his profession has to face the world over like drunk passengers and being stiffed for fare. This particular night is no exception as Alexei(Pyotr Mamonov), a jazz… More
In "Taxi Blues," Ivan(Pyotr Zaychenko), a burly cab driver in Moscow, has to deal with the usual nuisances his profession has to face the world over like drunk passengers and being stiffed for fare. This particular night is no exception as Alexei(Pyotr Mamonov), a jazz musician, leaves his cab without paying him. However, Ivan goes to the trouble of tracking him down to a bathroom in a club which Alexei surprisingly has no problem with since how much more can a beating add to the pain of the hangover he is already suffering through? Instead of inflicting physical punishment, Ivan takes his prized saxophone for payment but has second thoughts just before selling it... "Taxi Blues" is a time capsule of a society imploding where everybody desperately wants to get drunk but nobody has a ration card necessary to purchase alcohol, feeding a thriving black market. Ivan is the exception to the rule as he spends much of his time lifting weights and despite his gruff exterior, does his best to save Alexei from himself because he sees the potential in him like the way the film hints at the potential of the Russian people. However, a substance abusing jazz musician is such a cliche that Geoff Dyer once suggested Bellevue Hospital as a possible spiritual home for jazz. Now, if only the movie had a proper ending.

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