Taxi Driver

Theatrical release poster for Taxi Driver

**Taxi Driver** is a 1976 American psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, Albert Brooks, and Peter Boyle. Set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the Vietnam War, the film tells the story of lonely veteran Travis Bickle (De Niro), working as a taxi driver, who descends into insanity as he plots to assassinate both the presidential candidate (Harris) for whom the woman he is infatuated with (Shepherd) works, and the pimp (Keitel) of an underage prostitute (Foster) he befriends.

A critical and commercial success upon release and nominated for four Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Actor (for De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (for Foster), Taxi Driver won the Palme d'Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. The film generated controversy at the time of its release for its depiction of violence and casting of a 12 year old Foster in the role of a child prostitute.

It is regularly cited by critics, film directors, and audiences alike as one of the greatest films of all time. In 2012, Sight & Sound named it the 31st-best film ever in its decennial critics' poll, ranked with The Godfather Part II, and the fifth-greatest film of all time on its directors' poll. The film was considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant by the US Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1994.

## Plot

In 1976, Travis Bickle is a lonely, depressed 26-year-old honorably discharged U.S. Marine and Vietnam War veteran living in isolation in New York City. Travis takes a job as a night shift taxi driver to cope with his chronic insomnia, driving passengers around the city's boroughs. He frequents porn theaters and keeps a diary in which he consciously attempts to include aphorisms, such as "You're only as healthy as you feel."

Travis becomes infatuated with Betsy, a campaign volunteer for Senator and presidential candidate Charles Palantine. After watching her interact with fellow worker Tom through her window, Travis enters to volunteer as a pretext to talk to her, then takes her out for coffee. On a later date, he naively takes her to see a pornographic film, which offends her, and she goes home alone. His numerous attempts at reconciliation by sending flowers and apologizing over the phone are rebuffed, causing him to become embittered and convinced that she is exactly like the "cold" people he detests in the city. He finally confronts her at the campaign office, berating her before being kicked out by Tom.

Travis is disgusted by the sleaze, dysfunction, and prostitution that he witnesses throughout the city, and struggles to find meaning for his existence. His worldview is furthered when an adolescent prostitute and runaway, Iris, enters his taxi, attempting to escape her pimp, Sport. Sport drags Iris from the taxi and throws Travis a crumpled $20 bill, which continually reminds Travis of her and the corruption that surrounds him. A similarly influential event occurs when an unhinged passenger gloats to Travis of his intentions to kill his adulterous wife and her lover. Travis confides in fellow taxi driver Wizard about his thoughts, which are beginning to turn violent; however, Wizard assures him that he will be fine, leaving Travis to his own destructive path.

In attempting to find an outlet for his frustrations, Travis begins a program of intense physical training. A fellow taxi driver refers him to an illegal gun dealer, "Easy" Andy, from whom Travis buys four handguns. At home, Travis practices drawing his weapons, and modifies one to allow him to hide and quickly deploy it from his sleeve. He also begins attending Palantine's rallies to scope out their security. One night, Travis enters a convenience store moments before an attempted armed robbery, and fatally shoots the robber. To help him evade arrest, the store owner takes responsibility for the deed, claiming one of Travis's guns as his own.

Travis seeks out Iris, through Sport, and twice tries to convince her to stop prostituting herself, an effort which partially convinces her. After a breakfast with Iris, Travis mails her a letter containing money, imploring her to return home. Travis cuts his hair into a mohawk, and attends a public rally where he intends to assassinate Palantine. Travis almost pulls out one of his guns, but Secret Service agents notice him putting his hand inside his coat. He almost gets caught, but successfully escapes the scene.

That evening, Travis drives to Sport's brothel in the East Village. Travis shoots Sport in the stomach, causing a shootout to start. He shoots a gangster in the hand, but Sport gets up and shoots him in the neck before Travis guns him down again. Then Iris' customer comes through the door from her room and shoots him in the arm and Travis kills him with the sleeve concealed gun. He is attacked by the gangster again who he stabs through the hand and finally shoots dead before the crying Iris. As the police arrive, Travis attempts suicide by shooting himself in the head, but runs out of ammo and he passes out from blood loss.

Travis' shootout is seen by the police and press as an attempt to rescue Iris from armed gangsters. He is not prosecuted, but instead, he is hailed as a local hero in the press. He receives a letter from Iris' father, thanking him for saving her and revealing that she has returned home to Pittsburgh, where she is going to school. After weeks of recovery and returning to work, Travis encounters Betsy as a fare. Travis drives her home, then refuses to let her pay the fare, driving away with a smile. As Travis drives off, he becomes suddenly agitated after noticing something in his rear-view mirror and the end credits roll.

## Cast

* Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle
* Jodie Foster as Iris Steensma
* Cybill Shepard as Betsy
* Harvey Keitel as Charles Rain
* Leonard Harris as Charles Palentine
* Albert Brooks as Tom
* Peter Boyle as Wizard
* Harry Northup as Doughboy