Taxi Driver (1976)

 

Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city. When Travis meets pretty campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world, first plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then directing his attentions toward rescuing 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).

Plot

Travis Bickle is a lonely, depressed 26-year-old honourably 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 the porn theatres on 42nd Street 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. Betsy agrees to go on another date with him, during which he takes her to see a pornographic film. A disgusted Betsy leaves. Travis attempts to reconcile with her, to no avail. Enraged, he storms into the campaign office where she works and berates her, before he is ordered to leave by Tom. Travis concedes that she is "just like the others".

Travis is disgusted by the sleaze, dysfunction, and prostitution that he witnesses throughout the city, and struggles to find meaning for his existence. 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 an attempt to find an outlet for his frustrations, Travis begins a program of intense physical training. A fellow taxi driver refers him to a black-market 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 kills the robber.

On his trips around the city, Travis regularly encounters Iris, a child prostitute. He fantasizes about saving her from her life of exploitation. Travis solicits her and tries to convince her to stop prostituting herself and go home to her parents and gives her money to start a new life. Soon after, Travis cuts his hair into a mohawk, and attends a public rally where he plans to assassinate Palantine. However, he is chased away by Secret Service agents who see him drawing his gun.

That evening, Travis drives to the brothel where Iris works. He confronts Iris's pimp, "Sport", outside of the brothel, and shoots him with his gun. He enters the building and engages in a shootout with Sport, the bouncer, and Iris's client, and is shot several times. Travis manages to kill the three men, before slumping on a couch next to a sobbing Iris. He attempts to kill himself but is out of bullets. As police report to the scene, a delirious Travis imitates shooting himself in the head.

Travis goes into a coma due to his injuries. He is heralded by the press as a heroic vigilante and is not prosecuted for the murder of the men. He receives a letter from Iris's father, thanking him for saving her. After recovering, Travis returns to work, where he encounters Betsy as a fare. Travis drives her home, and allows her to leave without paying her fare, departing with a smile. As Travis drives off, he becomes suddenly agitated after noticing something in his rear-view mirror.

Cast

Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle
Jodie Foster as Iris
Albert Brooks as Tom
Harvey Keitel as Sport
Leonard Harris as Charles Palantine
Peter Boyle as Wizard
Cybill Shepherd as Betsy
Diahnne Abbott as Concession Girl
Frank Adu as Angry Black Man
Vic Argo as Melio
Gino Ardito as Policeman At Rally
Garth Avery as Iris's Friend
Harry Cohn as Cabbie In Bellmore
Copper Cunningham as Hooker In Cab
Brenda Dickson as Soap Opera Woman
Harry Fischler as Dispatcher
Nat Grant as Stick-up Man
Richard Higgs as Tall Secret Service Man
Beau Kayser as Soap Opera Man
Victor Magnotta as Secret Service Photographer
Robert Maroff as Mafioso
Norman Matlock as Charlie T.
Bill Minkin as Tom's assistant
Murray Moston as Iris' Time Keeper
Harry Northup as Doughboy
Gene Palma as Street Drummer
Carey Poe as Campaign Worker
Steven Prince as Andy, Gun Salesman
Peter Savage as The John
Martin Scorsese as Passenger Watching Silhouette
Robert Shields as Palantine Aide
Ralph Singleton as T.V. Interviewer
Joe Spinell as Personnel Officer
Maria Turner as Angry Hooker On Street
Robin Utt as Campaign Worker

Snakes Review

Character: Any guy who can rescue a young girl from the violent and predatory streets of New York, is one tough vigilante. Snake could use a cabbie like Travis on his next mission to save the President!

Movie: The movie fans at IMDB have given a score of 8.3, and Snake would agree. A city that never sleeps, interesting characters and a heroic ending.  

Snakes Score: 8.3