Taxi Driver was released in 1976, right in the middle of a gritty era of American filmmaking. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film captures a version of New York City that feels raw, broken, and alive. This is not a comfortable movie, but that is exactly why it lasts.
Robert De Niro delivers one of the most iconic performances in film history as Travis Bickle. A lonely Vietnam veteran working nights as a cab driver, Travis slowly unravels as he drifts through the city. De Niro makes Travis disturbing, sad, and strangely compelling all at once.
Cybill Shepherd plays Betsy, a campaign worker who becomes the object of Travis’s obsession. Her character represents something clean and unreachable to him. Their interactions are awkward, tense, and painfully realistic, adding to the film’s emotional discomfort.
Jodie Foster gives an incredible performance as Iris, a teenage runaway caught in a brutal world far beyond her years. Knowing how young she was at the time makes her performance even more impressive. She brings depth and humanity to a role that could have easily been reduced to shock value.
Harvey Keitel rounds out the main cast as Sport, Iris’s pimp. Keitel plays the role with a calm menace that makes him unsettling without being over the top. His presence adds to the film’s constant feeling of danger.
The plot follows Travis as isolation, anger, and disillusionment push him toward violence. He believes he is destined to cleanse the city of its filth, a belief that grows more dangerous as the story unfolds. The film never excuses his behavior, but it forces the audience to sit with it.
Scorsese’s direction is masterful. The pacing is slow and deliberate, the camera lingering on neon soaked streets and empty faces. Bernard Herrmann’s haunting score ties it all together, giving the movie an almost hypnotic quality.
Taxi Driver is a classic because it refuses to be easy. It does not give clear heroes or neat resolutions. It reflects a fractured society and a fractured mind, and it does so honestly.
Nearly fifty years later, the film still feels powerful. Taxi Driver remains one of the most important films of the seventies and one of the greatest character studies ever put on screen. It is uncomfortable, unforgettable, and essential viewing for anyone who loves cinema.