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Taxi Driver (1976)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Paul Schrader (written by)
Release Date:
8 February 1976 (USA)
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Tagline:
On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody. more
Plot:
A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out, attempting to save a teenage prostitute in the process. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Prostitute
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New York City
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Alienation
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Insomnia
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Gunman
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Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars.
Another 18 wins
&
9 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(161 articles)
Opinion In A Haystack: Eric Lichtenfeld Part 2
(From Quick Stop. 18 November 2009, 1:59 AM, PST)
Lil Wayne And Royce Da 5'9" Duke It Out On New Mixtape
(From MTV Music News. 17 November 2009, 3:52 AM, PST)
(From Quick Stop. 18 November 2009, 1:59 AM, PST)
Lil Wayne And Royce Da 5'9" Duke It Out On New Mixtape
(From MTV Music News. 17 November 2009, 3:52 AM, PST)
User Comments:
A wonderfully engaging and convincing slide into a modern madness from a director and actor showing some of their best form
more (611 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Robert De Niro | ... | Travis Bickle (as Robert DeNiro) |
 | Jodie Foster | ... | Iris |
 | Albert Brooks | ... | Tom |
 | Harvey Keitel | ... | Sport |
 | Leonard Harris | ... | Charles Palantine |
 | Peter Boyle | ... | Wizard |
 | Cybill Shepherd | ... | Betsy |
| Diahnne Abbott | ... | Concession Girl |
| Frank Adu | ... | Angry Black Man |
| Gino Ardito | ... | Policeman at Rally |
| Victor Argo | ... | Melio (as Vic Argo) |
| Garth Avery | ... | Iris' Friend |
| Harry Cohn | ... | Cabbie in Bellmore |
| Copper Cunningham | ... | Hooker in Cab |
 | Brenda Dickson | ... | Soap Opera Woman |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
113 min | Spain:110 min (cut version)
Country:
Language:
Colour:
Colour (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Certification:
New Zealand:R18 |
Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) |
Italy:VM14 |
Germany:16 (re-rating) |
West Germany:18 (original rating) |
Iceland:16 |
Brazil:14 |
South Africa:16LV |
Philippines:R-18 |
Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) |
Spain:13 (re-rating) |
Argentina:18 |
Australia:R |
Canada:13+ (Quebec) |
Chile:18 |
Finland:K-16 |
France:-12 (re-rating) |
France:-16 (original rating) |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Ireland:18 |
Israel:18 |
Japan:R-15 |
Netherlands:16 |
Norway:18 |
Peru:18 |
Portugal:M/18 |
Singapore:M18 |
South Korea:18 |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:18 (video rating) (1986) (cut) |
UK:18 (video re-rating) (1993) (uncut) |
UK:X (original rating) (cut) |
USA:R (Approved No. 24441)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The producers were looking for a "Cybill Shepherd" type to play the female lead in the film. When agent Sue Mengers heard this, she reportedly called them and asked why not hire Cybill Shepherd.
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Goofs:
Continuity: Iris' hair when she is wearing the green sunglasses while having dinner with Travis. The glass into which Travis drops the paracetamol tablet suddenly appears in front of him. Previously we see that there was only a coffee cup there.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
[phone rings loudly]
Personnel Officer: Harry, answer that.
Personnel Officer: So whaddya want to hack for, Bickle?
Travis Bickle: I can't sleep nights.
Personnel Officer: There's porno theaters for that.
Travis Bickle: Yeah, I know, I tried that.
Personnel Officer: So now what do you do?
Travis Bickle: I ride around most nights - subways, buses - but you know, if I'm gonna do that I might as well get paid for it.
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[phone rings loudly]
Personnel Officer: Harry, answer that.
Personnel Officer: So whaddya want to hack for, Bickle?
Travis Bickle: I can't sleep nights.
Personnel Officer: There's porno theaters for that.
Travis Bickle: Yeah, I know, I tried that.
Personnel Officer: So now what do you do?
Travis Bickle: I ride around most nights - subways, buses - but you know, if I'm gonna do that I might as well get paid for it.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
LATE FOR THE SKY
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FAQ
A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERSWhat is the relevance of the noise that Travis Bickle hears at the very end before the credits roll?
Why is a different man shown in the newspaper & rearview mirror as Travis?
more
more (611 total)
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Travis Bickle is a Vietnam veteran who cannot sleep at night and just ends up travelling around. To try and use the time effectively he becomes a taxi driver. Things start to look up for him as he works nights and slowly starts to live a little bit. He meets a girl, Betsy, and arranges to see her a few times despite the fact that he is a little bit out of the ordinary – a quality that seems to interest her. His connection to the night allows him to see young prostitute Iris being bullied by her pimp Matthew and he begins to see his role to perhaps save her – him playing his part in cleaning up the sewer that he feels New York has become. However when his view of normal life puts Betsy off him he starts to retreat more and more into the night, looking for meaning in his life and growing more and more outraged by the world he is part of.
Hardly the most uplifting of films it is engaging and impressive and truly deserves the reputation it has. Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader have produced a film that convincingly portrays a man cut out of society who has the slightest connection to normality before finding it eroded away. The script is brilliant because the detail is engaging but it is this descent into a very modern type of madness that drives the film forward. Travis has just enough about him that is recognisable that it makes it so easy to go along with the rest of his madness. A major part of this is getting the feeling right about living in a cesspit; a city that seems to have forgotten its way morally – New York is the strongest example but elements of it could be parts of any city I suspect. In painting this world in such a real way, Scorsese has made Travis all the more convincing and, to a point, all the easier to follow in his fall. Like I said it is not a film to morally uplift you but one that is depressingly fair. There is no redemption in this modern world and although it appears that the violence at the end somehow redeems Travis in reality by showing "society" accepting his action it drags the rest of us down nearer the world that he hates and has become part of. I love King of Comedy for the same reason albeit in a different world.
Scorsese injects a real understanding of the place and a real sense of foreboding into even the earliest scenes. He inserts clever and meaningful shots into scenes that other directors might just have filmed straight and his choice of scene and shot compliments the script is depicting Travis descending into madness. What makes the film even better is De Niro showing the type of form that makes his recent form such a major disappointment. He is outstanding as he moves Travis from being relatively normal to being eaten up from the inside out. His eventual implosion is impressive but it is only as impressive as the gradual slide he depicts over the course of the film. Although he dominates it, others impress as well. Foster stands out in a small role, while Keitel makes a good impression as the pimp. Shepherd is not quite as good but her character was not as well written as the others so it isn't all down to her. Regardless, the film belongs to De Niro and although the quotable scenes are the ones that are remembered it is in the quieter moments where he excels and shows genuine talent and understanding.
Overall an impressive and morally depressing film that deserves its place in cinematic history. The portrayal of a city and a man slipping into moral insanity is convincing and engaging and it shows how well to "do" modern madness and the effects of the moral void of parts of society. Scorsese directs as a master despite this being at an early stage in his career and De Niro is chillingly effective as he simply dominates the film in quiet moments and quotable moments alike. I rarely use phrases like "modern classic" because I think they are lazy but this is one film that certainly deserves such a label.