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Taxi Driver, 1976

Taxi Driver

English

USA

Rating:8.6
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Profile of Taxi Driver

The mood of Taxi Driver is disturbing, bleak, and rough. The plot centers around a losing-it hero, social decay, and lone wolves. It is a drama and crime movie. In approach, Taxi Driver is serious and realistic. The pacing is slow. It takes place, at least partly, in a taxi and in an urban environment. Taxi Driver is set in New York. It happens in the 20th century. The movie is known for being a cult favorite, a Cannes festival winner, and a classic. Note that Taxi Driver includes sexual content, profanity, and violent content.

Summary of 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. Scorcese fills Paul Schrader's screenplay with a tragic realism, brilliantly capturing the muck and grime of New York City. De Niro, playing the fragile hero, steps so deep inside his role that the results are deeply frightening. Bernard Herrmann's haunting score--which turned out to be his last--completes the urban nightmare.

Details

Language: English
Country: USA
Release date: 8 February 1976
Runtime: 113 min
Awards: Cannes

Awards

Awarded Palme d'Or at the 1976 Cannes

Cast and Crew

Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver
Robert De Niro

as Travis Bickle

Cybill Shepherd as Betsy in Taxi Driver
Cybill Shepherd

as Betsy

Jodie Foster as Iris Steensma in Taxi Driver
Jodie Foster

as Iris Steensma

Photos

Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver (1976)

Clips

Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver: Trailer

Critics Reviews

TV Guide
An undeniably brilliant, nightmarish portrait of one man's personal hell. (Review of original release)
The New York Times
Acting of this sort is rare in films. It is a display of talent, which one gets in the theater, as well as a demonstration of behavior, which is what movies usually offer. Were Mr. De Niro less an actor, the character would be a sideshow freak....

Users Reviews

My favourite Martin Scorsese movie
Robert De Niro gives a masterful along with a really talented 14 year old Jodie Foster. It has a really good score, good direction, tone, lighting, sound etc. Very unique and a good film for analysing in an English lesson. The end will have you...
One of Martin Scorsese's many love letters about New York City. This is one of his best efforts. TAXI DRIVER. By far one of Robert De Niro's strongest film performances. This film is one of the ESSENTIALS. I strongly recommend it. I give it the...
Likely to see
Not for me

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