In 1976, Martin Scorsese made a chilling cameo appearance in his thriller, Taxi Driver. Perhaps you remember the scene: Playing a bearded, nameless character, Scorsese enters a cab, bosses the driver around for a while, then proceeds to explain, in an uncomfortably matter of fact way, how he plans to kill his wife. It’ll make your hair stand on end. In a new commercial for Apple, Scorsese plays a bossy back-seat rider again. But this time, there’s no killing involved, just shilling. It’s an ad for Apple’s iPhone, and it’s the latest in a new series of ads featuring celebs like Zooey Deschannel, Samuel Jackson and John Malkovich.
Of course, the parallel between the Siri ad and the 1976 film was spotted by Roger Ebert. All props to him.
P.S.: In case you think we’re seeing a parallel that doesn’t actually exist, it’s worth noting that both cabs have the same number. Great spot by @sinyc.
The realistic version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Zh6DnMP4k&feature=plcp