Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver is a 1976 American neo-noir psychological drama written by Paul Schrader, and it remains one of the clearest portraits of a man coming apart that American film has produced. It runs 114 minutes. It is a crime drama by genre and something harder to shake by design.
Trailer, via Sony Pics at Home.
Travis Bickle and the Night Shift
Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran who takes a night-shift cab job to cope with chronic insomnia and loneliness. He keeps a diary, writes lines like “you’re only as healthy as you feel,” and narrates much of the film through voice-over pulled from those pages. The city he drives through is rotting, and he dreams of getting “the scum off the streets.”
Betsy, Palantine and the Second Date
Travis becomes infatuated with Betsy, a campaign worker for Senator Charles Palantine, played by Cybill Shepherd. She agrees to coffee, then to a second date — which he takes to an adult movie theater. She leaves immediately. He tries to reconcile and fails, then storms the campaign office and berates her until he is thrown out. The rejection deepens his isolation and his erratic behavior.
Wizard, Isolation and the Breakdown
Travis confides his violent thoughts to a fellow driver nicknamed Wizard, played by Peter Boyle, who dismisses them and says he will be fine. He is not fine. Travis trains his body for violence and drifts further from reality.
The cast around De Niro is deep:
- Jodie Foster as Iris, the child prostitute
- Harvey Keitel as Sport
- Leonard Harris as Charles Palantine
- Albert Brooks as Tom, his first feature film role
- Scorsese himself, in a dual cameo, including an unhinged passenger who plans to murder his unfaithful wife
Bernard Herrmann’s Last Score
Bernard Herrmann composed his final score for Taxi Driver. He finished the music hours before his death, and the film is dedicated to him.
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| Filming begins | Summer 1975 |
| Budget | $1.9 million |
| Theatrical release | February 8, 1976 |
| Cannes | Palme d’Or, 1976 |
| Academy Awards | Four nominations |
Foster at Twelve
Foster was 12 during the climactic shoot-out, and some critics objected. She said the effects were explained and demonstrated to her step by step, and that she found the preparation fascinating. She underwent psychological testing with a UCLA psychiatrist before being cast, per California Labor Board requirements. Scorsese, unsure how to direct her, relayed instructions through De Niro. Foster has said De Niro became a mentor and shaped her career.
What Holds Up
The controversy has aged worse than the film. Taxi Driver’s violence is the point, not the provocation — it shows what a lonely man does when no one listens. De Niro’s Bickle is the performance the movie rests on.
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