The Lasting Significance of Scorsese’s TAXI DRIVER
From Robert De Niro’s masterful performance, to its influence on the neo-noir genre of filmmaking, few movies in American cinematic history have been as lauded as much as Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.
The Descent of Travis Bickel
Taxi Driver (1976) tells the story of Travis Bickel (Robert De Niro), a 20-something alienated and psychologically troubled Vietnam War veteran who works as a night-shift cab driver in New York City. Living in isolation, Travis becomes increasingly disillusioned with the city’s moral decay and descends into paranoia and violent fantasies. The film depicts his encounters with a variety of street characters, including an underage prostitute named Iris (Jodie Foster), whom he wants to “save” from her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel). Meanwhile, Travis fixates on a political candidate and attends a rally armed, contemplating an assassination. Ultimately, his violent rampage against Iris’s “oppressors” turns Travis into a media-proclaimed hero, though the film’s ending leaves the morality of his actions and his psychological state ambiguous.
Why do I like the movie Taxi Driver so much?
From least to most important:
I spent two years driving a cab at night (and almost four years working in a psychiatric correctional facility mostly at nights)—though not in New York City. This experience helps me to empathize with Travis’s nocturnal perspective, frequently witnessing and interacting with humanity when it is on its worst behavior.
I also visited NYC during that era, experiencing its raw and gritty reality firsthand. Many years later, I lived in New York. This experience deepened my connection to the city’s ever-evolving street culture and character. But more than these personal ties, it’s the film’s ability to capture the city’s eccentricities—like Bernard “Bernie” Barlow’s memorable drum performance on the streets—and its unflinching portrayal of NYC’s chaotic alienating urban landscape and challenges that resonate with me most.
New York City in Crisis
Taxi Driver is set during a period of profound crisis in New York City’s recent history, marked by escalating violent crime and pervasive urban decay. Neighborhoods like the South Bronx and Harlem, plagued by poverty and neglect, were home to numerous abandoned buildings, crumbling infrastructure, widespread arson, and an active graffiti scene.
This decline was compounded by the city’s struggling economy, as the collapse of manufacturing left working-class and minority communities facing unemployment and despair.
These conditions created a city where fear and lawlessness prevailed. The police, overwhelmed by crime and corruption, appeared unable to do their job properly and this fueled the publics’ fear.
This backdrop of decay and alienation (e.g., Times Square filled with theaters screening pornography films, and pervasive illicit activities) facilitates Bickel’s growing disconnect from society and his violence.
By weaving New York City’s collapse into its narrative, Taxi Driver not only reflects the city’s struggles, but also critiques the broader economic, political and institutional failures of 1970s NYC.
Enduring Legacy
Watching Taxi Driver now in 2024 may seem a little hackneyed and out of place. Although many aspects of 1970s New York have evolved, the city still grapples with systemic issues of inequality, crime, and disconnection. Taxi Driver remains a stark reminder of these enduring struggles, its gritty realism serving as both a time capsule and a timeless cautionary tale.
