Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the Vietnam War, the film follows Travis Bickle (De Niro), a taxi driver and veteran, and his deteriorating mental state as he works nights in the city.

The film was theatrically released by Columbia Pictures on February 7, 1976, where it was a critical and commercial success, despite generating controversy for its graphic violence at the climactic ending, and casting of then 12-year-old Foster in the role of a child prostitute. The film received numerous accolades including the 1976 Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, and four nominations at the 49th Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Actor (for De Niro), and Best Supporting Actress (for Foster).

Taxi Driver is now widely recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. Although it generated further controversy for its role in John Hinckley Jr.'s motive to attempt to assassinate then-President Ronald Reagan, the film has remained popular, culturally significant and inspirational of its time. In 1994, the film was considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant by the US Library of Congress, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Plot
The former marine Travis Bickle is insomniac and decides to work as taxi driver in the night shift. Travis is a lonely uneducated man that spends his leisure time watching porn films in the theaters. When Travis sees the gorgeous Betsy working as a volunteer in the campaign for president of Senator Charles Palantine, he has a crush on her. He invites Betsy to drink coffee with him and later he dates her. However he takes her to see a porn Swedish movie and she feels offended and leaves him. Travis unsuccessfully sends flowers for her but she rejects him. Travis meets the young prostitute Iris that is trying to flee from her pimp Sport in his taxi but Sport takes her from the car. Travis also buys several weapons from a dealer and practices shooting. When he meets Iris again, he is resolute to help her. Will Travis succeed in his intent?

Why It Will Make You Talk To Me

 * 1) This is Martin Scorsese's magnum opus, the film in which he outdid himself with his directing skills.
 * 2) It's one of the most influential films of all time. Inspiring movies like Chapter 27, Observe and Report, Fight Club, Falling Down, True Romance and, of course, Joker.
 * 3) It's also one of the best films in the neo-noir genre.
 * 4) Paul Schrader did a terrific job writing the script.
 * 5) Robert De Niro's performance as Travis Bickle was superb.
 * 6) The famous "You talkin' to me?" quote is classic.
 * 7) Travis's mohawk look is iconic.
 * 8) The music by the late Bernard Herrmann is well-composed.
 * 9) It's one of those great movies where the city (in this case NY) is also a character.
 * 10) The movie did a good job showing the crime and corruption of New York city.
 * 11) Travis Bickle is the ultimate anti-hero character.
 * 12) *And while he serves well as such, he ultimately proves to be well-intentioned. Especially for how he wants to help Iris.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The shootout scene is extremely graphic and offended many audiences when the movie was released.
 * 2) The same scene also had to have the colors desaturated to avoid an X rating and the normal colored frames for that scene are now lost.
 * 3) It inspired John Hinckley Jr. to shoot President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Hinckley was obsessed with Jodie Foster and thought he could win her over by assassinating the president. Thankfully, Reagan survived and Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity, was placed under institutional psychiatric care until September 2016.

Reception
Taxi Driver currently holds a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average of 9 out of 10 and a critic consensus that reads "A must-see film for movie lovers, this Martin Scorsese masterpiece is as hard-hitting as it is compelling, with Robert De Niro at his best". Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film a four out of four stars and described it as "One of the best and most powerful of all films." The film was placed in the National Film Registry in 1994. It is considered among the greatest films of all time.

Box Office
Taxi Driver grossed $28,262,574 against its $1.9 million budget making it a box office success.

Awards and nominations
Taxi Driver was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, but lost to Rocky.