Taxi Driver (1976)

Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader’s high-art vigilante movie for fallen times, with a coiled Robert De Niro as psycho-saviour of an infernal NYC.

Screenwriter Paul Schrader drew on the mythology of 1940s film noir thrillers for this story of Vietnam vet Travis Bickle’s increasingly psychotic disgust at the nocturnal New York street life he observes from his taxi. Brought to vivid life by director Martin Scorsese – then one of Hollywood’s hot-property new filmmakers – the film is one of the 1970s’ most strikingly original works.

Although the film is evocatively rooted in contemporary New York, Scorsese’s camera dwells on strange expressionistic details – such as the sulphurous, steaming sidewalk and abstract neon signs – that contribute to the film’s hallucinatory, nightmarish quality. Centred around a brilliant performance by Robert De Niro, the grim intensity of Bickle’s avenging mania is framed by Bernard Herrmann’s forceful and occasionally nostalgic score.

“Political conspiracy, violence and queasy comedy – as fresh as it ever was.” Roger Luckhurst

“Following this cracked taxi driver through his nocturnal wanderings, we also follow his dark thoughts. In the maze of the city swarm so many lost and lonely souls exactly like our paranoiac protagonist – struggling for a kind of justice and running madly for an unreachable inner peace.” Mustapha Benfodil

“The modern template for post-war disillusionment and the brittle masculinities it produces. Setting the film in New York was a masterstroke: watching Bickle struggle to reintegrate into a city that seems in moral, spiritual freefall itself only makes his own predicaments all the sadder.” Kevin Wynter

“A vivid love/hate letter to the history of American film.” Marten Blomkvist

1976 USA
Directed by
Martin Scorsese
Produced by
Michael Phillips, Julia Phillips
Written by
Paul Schrader
Featuring
Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for Taxi Driver

Critics

Arun A.K.
India
Panos Achtsioglou
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Sitora Alieva
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Mustapha Benfodil
Algeria
Marten Blomkvist
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Anna Cale
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Alejandro G Calvo
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Per Juul Carlsen
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Sehad Čekić
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Erdem Murat Çelikler
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Cecilia Cenciarelli
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Anupama Chopra
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David Cox
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Toni Dimkov
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Wheeler Winston Dixon
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Gian Luca Farinelli
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Jordan Farley
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Leslie Felperin
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Nicole Flattery
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Leonardo García Tsao
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Andrea Glawogger
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Jamie Graham
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Hauvick Habéchian
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Fahmidul Haq
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Alistair Harkness
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Philip Horne
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Bruce Isaacs
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Thierry Jobin
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Alan Jones
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Andreas Kilb
Germany
Miklós Kiss
Netherlands
Tobias Kniebe
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Dario Llinares
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Roger Luckhurst
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Sarah Lutton
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Matt Maytum
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Khalid Mohamed
India
Brogan Morris
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Clodualdo ("Doy") del Mundo
Philippines
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Croatia
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Jugoslav Pantelić
Serbia
Sanjin Pejković
Bosnia and Herzegovina/Sweden
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Yal Sadat
France
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Pablo O. Scholz
Argentina
Mayukh Sen
USA
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Fernanda Solórzano
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Alexandru Tirdea
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Scott Tobias
USA
Miguel Valverde
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Wim Vanacker
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Nag Vladermersky
UK
Stephen Volk
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Kevin Wynter
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Directors

Edward Berger
Germany
Elegance Bratton
Joseph Bull
UK
Marian Crisan
Romania
Saul Dibb
UK
Dionne Edwards
UK
Lee Haven Jones
UK
John Hillcoat
Australia
Barry Jenkins
USA
Anurag Kashyap
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Paul Kelly
UK
Eric Khoo
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Francis Lee
UK
Nikhil Mahajan
India
Martin Mcdonagh
Ireland
Michael Moore
USA
Robert Morgan
UK
Gaspar Noé
France
C.J. "Fiery" Obasi
Nigeria
Ngozi Onwurah
UK/Nigeria
Paweł Pawlikowski
Poland
Kivu Ruhorahoza
Rwanda
Seungwan Ryoo
South Korea
Benny Safdie
USA
Lone Scherfig
Denmark
Lucía Seles
Chile
Sami Tlili
Tunisia
Ti West
USA
Edgar Wright
UK

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