Taxi Driver Details

1976

Rated:
70
from 43,654 members

Starring	Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel
Director	Martin Scorsese
Genres	Drama, Thriller

Taxi Driver

Martin Scorsese's intense film, a hallmark of 1970s filmmaking, graphically depicts the tragic consequences of urban alienation when a New York City taxi driver goes on a murderous rampage against the pitiable denizens inhabiting the city's underbelly. For psychotic, pistol-packing Vietnam vet Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), New York City seems like a circle of hell. Driving his cab each night through the bleak Manhattan streets, Bickle observes with fanatical loathing the sleazy lowlifes who comprise most of his fares. By day he haunts the porno theaters of 42nd Street, taking his cues from the violent vision of life portrayed in these movies. As badly as Travis wants to connect with the people around him--including Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a lovely blonde campaign worker, and Iris (Jodie Foster), a prepubescent prostitute he tries to save--his attempts are thwarted and his pent-up rage grows, turning him into a Mohawk-wearing walking time bomb. Paul Schrader's screenplay is filmed with a tragic realism by Scorsese, which brilliantly captures the muck and grime of New York City. De Niro, playing the fragile hero, steps inside his role so far that the results are deeply frightening. Bernard Herrmann's haunting score--which turned out to be his last--completes the urban nightmare.

Starring	Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle, Cybill Shepherd
Director	Martin Scorsese
Studio	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 49 mins
Certificate
Collections	100 must-see movies
Genres	Drama, Thriller
Language	English
Dubbed	French, German
Subtitles	Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Turkish
Released	DVD: 01 Nov 1999 Production year: 1976
Format	DVD

Critics' reviews (3) of Taxi Driver
View all
Back in the 1970s, smutty comedies such as this entry in the Adventures series were the order of the day for comedy actors trying to break into movies. Robert Lindsay, Liz Fraser, Ian Lavender and Henry McGee are among the familiar faces who probably squirmed with embarrassment at their performances in this bawdy comedy. Barry Evans is the nominal leading man, adding new meaning to the familiar drivers' refrain, “You'll never guess who I had in the back of the cab?”
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
The epitome of the sordid realism of the 70s, this unlovely but brilliantly made film haunts the mind and paints a most vivid picture of a hell on earth.
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Most helpful member's review of Taxi Driver
View all
35 out of 37 people found this review helpful

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

One of the best ever

We watch with a sense of disquiet as the life of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) begins to unfold, there is a lurking menace in those eyes, in that crooked smile that you cannot put a finger on, but which is as real as the sordidness of his surroundings.

Travis is a man at the brink of losing it. He cannot sleep, he works nights and is constantly in touch with the people he thinks are scum of the earth.

He alienates the two women he encounters in the movie, the political campaigner and the child prostitute. He also has a misplaced sense of heroism, the conviction of the righteousness of his own actions that is almost scary. It is this conviction that causes him to attempt to kill the presidential candidate and eventually leads to the bloody climax when he attempts to 'save' Iris from the world she inhabits.

Taxi Driver is a powerful movie, I think it works because all of us identify with Travis at some level, we have all been lonely, we have all faced rejection, we just handle it better.

Finally, Taxi Driver had some of the best people to deliver the goods, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keital, Martin Scorcese & Paul Scnader. It hardly ever gets better than this.
- - Ilias from West Midlands
  - Posted 21 May 2004 12:43
Most recent members' review of Taxi Driver
View all
35 out of 37 people found this review helpful

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

One of the best ever

We watch with a sense of disquiet as the life of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) begins to unfold, there is a lurking menace in those eyes, in that crooked smile that you cannot put a finger on, but which is as real as the sordidness of his surroundings.

Travis is a man at the brink of losing it. He cannot sleep, he works nights and is constantly in touch with the people he thinks are scum of the earth.

He alienates the two women he encounters in the movie, the political campaigner and the child prostitute. He also has a misplaced sense of heroism, the conviction of the righteousness of his own actions that is almost scary. It is this conviction that causes him to attempt to kill the presidential candidate and eventually leads to the bloody climax when he attempts to 'save' Iris from the world she inhabits.

Taxi Driver is a powerful movie, I think it works because all of us identify with Travis at some level, we have all been lonely, we have all faced rejection, we just handle it better.

Finally, Taxi Driver had some of the best people to deliver the goods, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keital, Martin Scorcese & Paul Scnader. It hardly ever gets better than this.
- - Ilias from West Midlands
  - Posted 21 May 2004 12:43
News and features
View all
De Niro stole Taxi Driver line from Springsteen
- 02 Jun 2009
Robert De Niro stole his famous "You talkin' to me?" Taxi Driver movie line from rock legend Bruce Springsteen. The line, which De Niro's character recites to himself in the 1976 Martin Scorsese movie, has become one of the most famous movie quotes of all time. And the acting legend has confessed it was inspired by a trip to a Springsteen concert, while he was preparing for the role. De Niro made the admission to Springsteen's bandmate Clarence Clemons - who coached the actor to play the... Read more
More like this
View all
Showing 1 to 4 of 20

[+] [-]
Previous
Raging Bull

Sign up

Buy

The Deer Hunter

Sign up

Buy

Casino

Sign up

Buy

Once Upon A Time In America

Sign up

Buy
Next