Taxi Driver came out in 1976. It was directed by Martin Scorsese. The main star is Robert De Niro.
Taxi Driver is about a Vietnam veteran named Travis Bickle who drives a taxi for a living in New York. Travis struggles with insomnia and is obsessed with a woman named Besty who works as a staff person for a politician named Palatine.
Taxi Driver works well as an exploration of Travis’ character. He is very antisocial and most of his experiences with other people come from what he sees from his cab, driving in the middle of the night, so as a result he views the city as being filled with people who he would consider to be horrible. As a result of his lack of experiences with others, and his anti-social lifestyle, he doesn’t know the right place to take Betsy on a date, and ruins his chance for a relationship. His negative attitude of many of the people in the city leads him to dream of taking the law into his own hands, on the streets. His lack of sleep also contributes to his declining mental state.
Robert De Niro does a great job bringing Travis’ character to life with his performance. The soundtrack is also phenomenal. The main theme, composed by Bernard Herrmann helps add to the setting of the city to life with its jazz-like, cinematic sound. The music also helps add an unsettling feeling when necessary. The dark, nighttime cinematography also helps add to the setting along with the music.
The 2019 film Joker is often compared to Taxi Driver. Now there is clear inspiration that the story of Joker takes from Taxi Driver, but there are enough differences that Joker can be considered original.
