Nominated in: 1977
Did it Win? No (The Oscar went to Rocky)
Worth watching? Yes
Standout performance: Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle
Watchfl’s favorite quote: “You’re only as healthy as you feel” – Robert De Niro
I’ve finally finished plodding through Taxi Driver in three segments. I’ve seen parts of it before, but it was time to commit to watching from start to finish. Taxi Driver is one of Martin Scorsese’s early directorial experiences and the film that made him an icon. Unlike many films, it’s easy to get caught up in the direction – unexpected camera angles, images of water in many different forms and the rapid-fire editing that Scorsese still uses today. I kept comparing it to more recent Scorsese movies like The Departed. There are some common traits shared by most of his films: gritty, realistic portrayals of street life, macho protagonists and soundtracks sprinkled with random rock songs.
Taxi Driver was inspired by a real-life assassination attempt on politician George Wallace by the coward Arthur Bremer. Pardon the pun. Troubled Vietnam War veteran and taxi driver Travis (De Niro) requests the graveyard shift to help distract him from his insomnia. Travis embodies the effects of urban isolation and the plight of many returning war veterans. He has no friends and is invisible to his clients. In his journal he expresses hatred for the “scum and the degenerates” he sees daily in his cab. He also obsesses over Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a campaign assistant to presidential candidate Charles Palantine. Travis finally convinces her to go out with him but has no idea how to interact with her. He naively takes her to a porn theater he frequents when he can’t sleep. She ditches him, stops taking his calls, and Travis begins to unravel.
Most of the reason Travis appears so crazy is because he thinks he’s so reasonable, a depiction which could cause anyone to doubt their own stability. His journal entries communicate his inner darkness early on, but later his writing gives way to action. Travis cleans out a black-market gun dealer (perhaps my favorite scene), then attempts to assassinate Senator Palantine at a rally. He is spotted before he can draw his weapon, though (maybe it was the mohawk and aviators), and escapes a trail of secret service officers.
Travis turns his attention to an underage prostitute, Iris, played by a very young Jodie Foster. He befriends Iris and fixates on convincing her to return home. He ultimately succeeds when he shoots her pimp and two other lowlifes in front of her. After this graphic scene (another Scorsese characteristic!) we hear Iris’ father voice over a letter of thanks to Travis for helping her parents bring her home.
Inexplicably, Travis is not pinned with a crime and is next seen driving his cab. Betsy is his passenger, and Travis seems prepared to ignore her until she mentions reading about him in the paper, giving the impression that Travis is recognized as a hero for his shooting spree. He dismisses the comment and drops Betsy off free of charge. He drives away, then turns sharply to look in the rear view mirror before the credits role.
“I think the ending is thematically immaculate and poetically satisfying,” says screen writer Paul Schrader, which sums it up. Found that quote in an essay on the film, totally worth checking out if you’re interested in a more in-depth analysis.
I usually associate Martin Scorsese with “epic” films that span long time periods. In contrast, Taxi Driver is character-driven vs. plot-driven – the entire movie takes place in Travis’ head. Luckily, Robert De Niro (Best Actor that year) and his supporting actors deliver great performances. He is wonderful as Travis, and apparently drove a cab for months in New York to prepare for the role. Jodie Foster (Best Supporting Actress) is memorable and natural in her screen debut as Iris.
I think the real star was Scorsese, though. The visual storytelling was half the thrill of this film, with Robert De Niro working his ass off as assistant story teller. See this movie.
