Taxi Driver 1976

Travis Bickle, portrayed by Robert De Niro, arrives at a New York City taxi depot, seeking employment as a driver. He impresses the brusque personnel officer (Joe Spinell) by claiming to be an honorably discharged Marine from Vietnam. Given his struggles with chronic insomnia, he secures a position for the night shift.

At just 26 years old, Travis is a profoundly isolated and melancholic individual. His background remains largely a mystery, as he consistently drafts letters and sends birthday and Christmas cards to his parents, fabricating tales of his glamorous life and claiming connections to the Secret Service. During the day, he spends time alone in his decrepit Manhattan apartment or amidst the filth of seedy porn theaters along 42nd Street. At one of these establishments, he attempts to engage the concession lady but his efforts are in vain. During his taxing shifts, which last 12 to 14 hours, he transports passengers across all five boroughs of New York City. In his spare time, he often frequents an all-night diner to grab a bite or enjoy coffee alongside his fellow cab drivers, including the self-proclaimed philosopher o, Wizard.

As fate would have it, Travis becomes infatuated with a woman named Betsy, played by Cybill Shepherd, who works as a campaign volunteer for Senator Charles Palantine, a figure promising monumental changes in society. He observes Betsy laughing and engaging with her co-worker, Tom. Mustering up his courage, Travis asks her out, and Betsy, initially intrigued by him, agrees to a date after he shows her empathy regarding her solitude.

However, Travis’s aversion to the world around him grows steadily. One fateful night, he picks up a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris, embodied by Jodie Foster, who is trying to escape her controlling pimp, “Sport” (Harvey Keitel). Unfortunately, Travis finds himself unable to drive off quickly enough, allowing Sport to forcibly reclaim Iris and leave Travis with a bribe of a crumpled twenty-dollar bill to maintain silence.

In a turn of events, Travis gets the chance to drive Senator Palantine and an aide. When prompted to express his grievances, Travis tells the senator that he wishes for the next president to “clean the scum off New York City.” Despite this exchange, the date with Betsy deteriorates due to his lack of social finesse; he takes her to a porn theater to watch a Swedish “sex education” film, which deeply offends her. Following a painful breakup, where Betsy rejects his attempts to apologize—including a bouquet of flowers—Travis’s frustration morphs into rage. In a tumultuous confrontation at the campaign office, he erupts with a chilling declaration that she will “burn in hell like the rest of them.”

Feeling increasingly rejected and despondent, Travis later picks up a passenger who appears as unhinged as he is. The man instructs him to park outside an apartment building and fixates on a woman in the window, claiming she is his wife. He reveals his murderous intentions for both her and her lover, inducing a further spiral into Travis’s violent thoughts.

During an unsettling confession at the diner with Wizard, Travis finds the latter’s dismissive response unsatisfactory. Sensing his escalating agitation towards the city’s moral disintegration and the pervasive street crime—particularly prostitution—he embarks on a grim mission. He purchases several firearms from a shady dealer, completely immersed in his delusional fixation on Senator Palantine and his desire to “cleanse” the city he despises. The situation escalates as Travis begins an extreme regimen of physical training, rehearsing a menacing line in front of his mirror—> “You talking’ to me?” His fixation leads him to the Senator’s public appearances, which he attends under the guise of a supporter.

In a shocking twist, Travis walks into a grocery store robbery and takes matters into his own hands, gunning down the robber in a brutal act of vigilante justice. Events further unfold as he encounters Iris once more, leading him to Sport, where a tense negotiation takes place. Instead of resorting to violence, Travis attempts to save Iris from her dire circumstances.

Their brief meetings culminate in the realization that despite Travis’s best intentions, Iris is ensnared in a life of manipulation, convinced by Sport to remain in her current situation. Traumatized and driven to desperation, Travis writes a note to Iris, leaving behind all his money and suggesting he does not plan to survive.

In a stark moment that solidifies his unraveling sanity, Travis appears in a public rally sporting a crude Mohawk haircut, signaling a complete break from reality. He prepares for an assassination attempt on Senator Palantine but is quickly discovered and compelled to retreat.

Ultimately, Travis collects all his weapons and drives himself to the infamous “Alphabet City,” confronting Sport with a vengeful spirit. As tensions rise, he engages in a harrowing confrontation, ending with bloodshed in a brothel as he battles against Sport and the bouncers. After the chaos, Travis, lying amidst the carnage, attempts to take his own life, only to find his guns empty. He resigns himself to waiting for the police, playfully mimicking suicide while daydreaming of the havoc he has wrought.

The story concludes with a brief epilogue, showcasing Travis’s recovery post-incident. He receives a letter from Iris’s parents, expressing gratitude for his efforts to save their daughter. The media lauds him as a hero, and upon his return to work, he surprisingly finds camaraderie with his fellow cab drivers. Fate introduces him to Betsy again; she acknowledges his media accolades but Travis humbly dismisses the label of a hero. As he drives away, a disconcerting expression crosses his face as he adjusts the rear view mirror, hinting at the chaotic storm brewing within him once more.