Bickle in a Pickle!

Rating: 7/10 (19 November 2019)

"Taxi Driver" is a story about an ex-Marine, Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro)presumably a Viet Nam vet with problems in that he is an insomniac. He takes a job driving a taxi at night and goes to watch porn movies by day. He sees New York City as a cesspool of evil what with the prostitutes, drug addicts, pimps, johns et al roaming the streets at night.
One day Travis see a beautiful girl in a white dress and becomes obsessed with her. She turns out to be a campaign worker for Presidential hopeful Senator Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris). Her name is Betsy and co-worker Tom (Albert Brooks has an obvious interest in her as well. Travis gets up the nerve to confront her at her workplace and invite her out for a cup of coffee abd a piece of pie. All goes well and Travis asks her out to a movie.
Travis buys her a gift and takes her to a porn movie unaware that this will not appeal to Betsy. She becomes angry and storms out of the theater and never wants to see him again. Travis is distraught. He goes out and buys an arsenal of guns with an eventual plan to rid the streets of the smut he despises. He seeks advice from veteran fellow cabbie "The Wizard" (Peter Boyle) who advises him to sit tight and things will right themselves.
One night, a young hooker, Iris (Jodie Foster) climbs into his cab but is forcefully removed by her pimp Matthew aka "Sport" (Harvey Keitel). Travis takes little notice of it at the time and goes about his business. Later, a passenger in his cab who wants to kill his wife's lover (Martin Scorsese) describes the damage a .44 Magnum will do to various parts of the body.
Travis again encounters the 12 year old Iris and feels that she should be out of the mess she's in. He "hires" Iris for some jollies but instead offers to help her return to her parents. Sport convinces her to stay. Travis snaps and formulates a plan to free Iris from her pimp's grasp.
Travis shaves his head into a "Mohawk" and arms himself to the teeth. First he seemingly stalks Palantine but is driven off bu his guards. Next Travis goes to Sport's house of ill repute and.................................................................................
Many were or are opposed to the subject matter of this film and its' graphic violence. It's well handled by Scorsese as he brings an unpleasant subject front and center. I had trouble though, with the "happily ever after" ending following the climactic carnage. It was probably done to appease the censors as the story could have ended with the violence.
Robert DeNiro was just coming into his own as a major star having won an Oscar two years previous for "The Godfather Part II". He practically has to carry the whole film by himself and does so masterfully. Jodie Foster, a former child actor, who really was 12 years old at the time gives us a glimpse of her immense talent.
You talkin' to me, you talkin' to me.