Martin Scorsese has stated that it was Brian De Palma who introduced him to Paul Schrader, and Taxi Driver arose from Scorsese's feeling that movies are like dreams or drug-induced reveries. He attempted to evoke within the viewer the feeling of being in a limbo state between sleeping and waking.
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News
- Paul Schrader Had an ‘AI Girlfriend’ Who ‘Terminated Our Conversation’: ‘What a Disappointment’ Variety May 19, 2026
- Robert De Niro denies reprising 'Taxi Driver' role for Uber advert NME September 25, 2023
- Uber and Robert De Niro Deny Reports of Reviving ‘Taxi Driver’ Role for U.K. TV Commercial Variety September 24, 2023
- ‘Oppenheimer’ Is the ‘Best’ and ‘Most Important Film of This Century,’ Raves Paul Schrader: ‘This One Blows the Door Off the Hinges’ Variety July 18, 2023
Soundtrack
Taxi Driver (Original Soundtrack Recording)
Bernard Herrmann, Robert De Niro & Bernard Herrmann, Dave Blume
- 1 Bernard HerrmannTaxi Driver (Main Title) 2:14
- 2 Bernard HerrmannThank God for the Rain 1:41
- 3 Bernard HerrmannCleaning the Cab 1:07
- 4 Bernard HerrmannI Still Can't Sleep / The Cannot Touch Her (Betsy's Theme) 4:34
- 5 Bernard HerrmannPhone Call / I Realize How Much She Is Like the Others / A Strange Customer / Watching Palantine On TV / You're Gonna Die In Hell / Betsy's Theme / Hitting the Girl 6:14
- 6 Bernard HerrmannThe .44 Magnum Is a Monster 3:23
- 7 Bernard HerrmannGetting Into Shape / Listen You Screwheads / Gun Play / Dear Father & Mother / The Card / Soap Opera 5:28
- 8 Bernard HerrmannSport and Iris 2:20
- 9 Bernard HerrmannThe $20 Bill / Target Practice 2:35
- 10 Bernard HerrmannAssassination Attempt / After the Carnage 5:06
- 11 Bernard HerrmannReluctant Hero / Betsy / End Credits 4:42
- 12 Robert De Niro & Bernard HerrmannDiary of a Taxi Driver 4:33
- 13 Bernard HerrmannGod's Lonely Man 2:03
- 14 Dave BlumeTheme from "Taxi Driver" 4:11
- 15 Dave BlumeI Work the Whole City 2:27
- 16 Dave BlumeBetsy In a White Dress 2:16
- 17 Dave BlumeThe Days Do Not End 4:08
- 18 Dave BlumeTheme from Taxi Driver (Reprise) 2:27
Taxi Driver
(1976)23
« On every street in every city in this country, there’s a nobody who dreams of being a somebody. He’s a lonely forgotten man desperate to prove that he’s alive.»
| Country | |
| Spoken Language | english, spanish |
| Runtime | 1 hr 54 min |
| Budget | $1 900 000 |
| Premiere: World | $29 000 421 March 19, 1976 |
| USA | $28 262 574 |
| Other countries | $737 847 |
| Box Office – Budget | $27 100 421 |
| Premiere: USA | $28 262 574 February 8, 1976 |
| theaters | 15 |
| rollout | 320 days |
| Digital: World | April 4, 2006 |
| Parental Advisory | Frightening & Intense Scenes, Profanity, Violence & Gore, ... |
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| Production Companies | |
About the film Taxi Driver
A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.Смотреть онлайн
Сast and Crew
Director
Camera
Writer
Composer
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What is “Taxi Driver” about, and what are its main themes?
It follows Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, a nighttime taxi driver in New York City who grows increasingly isolated. Surrounded by urban decay, insomnia, and loneliness, he tries to “clean up” what he sees as corruption—sliding toward dangerous choices. Key themes include alienation, violence, moral collapse, the search for meaning, and the fantasy of a personal crusade.
Why is the film considered a defining portrait of big-city loneliness?
It treats loneliness not as romantic melancholy but as corrosive isolation. The night shifts, endless streets, fleeting passenger interactions, and the protagonist’s inner monologue make the city feel vast while genuine human connection feels absent.
How is the screenplay connected to the writer’s personal experience?
The screenplay was written by Paul Schrader, and it draws on a lived sense of loneliness and alienation: the character is stuck in a closed loop, with pressure building until it seeks release. It’s not a literal diary, but its emotional honesty is a big reason the story resonates.
How does the direction make the film feel like we’re inside the protagonist’s mind?
Director Martin Scorsese shapes the film as a subjective experience: the camera roams the streets like the gaze of someone both inside the city and detached from it. The scene rhythm, uneasy pauses, and “sticky” nocturnal atmosphere make it psychological rather than merely plot-driven.
How realistically does the film depict 1970s New York?
It captures the era through grimy streets, the nighttime economy, constant tension, and a sense of danger. It isn’t a documentary record, but it’s an artistically accurate snapshot of mid-1970s urban atmosphere, where social problems feel visible on every block.
Why are the diary and inner monologue so important to the story?
They reveal the gap between how the protagonist wants to appear “normal” and how he actually thinks. The diary records self-justifications, resentments, and escalating obsession—showing that the danger builds gradually rather than arriving out of nowhere.
What does the film say about violence and the ‘savior’ complex?
It shows how the urge to ‘save’ can become a form of control and self-importance, especially when someone can’t form healthy relationships. Violence isn’t romanticized; it reads as the climax of inner breakdown, not a heroic deed.
Should we see the protagonist as a ‘good guy’?
The film deliberately preserves moral discomfort: he’s sympathetic as a traumatized, lonely person, yet his conclusions and actions grow increasingly dangerous. It plays more like a warning about how isolation and resentment can harden into a destructive ‘mission.’
Why is the ending often called ambiguous?
Because it leaves room for multiple readings: how society interprets violence, how media and surroundings can ‘rewrite’ a narrative, and what happens to a person after an extreme break. The final tone can feel like calm—or like an ominous hint the cycle may repeat.
What purpose do the supporting characters and the protagonist’s environment serve?
The environment acts like a hall of mirrors: some people become ‘pure ideals’ in his mind, others symbols of ‘filth,’ and others just ordinary folks he can’t connect with. Together, it suggests the problem isn’t only ‘the city,’ but also how he perceives others and himself.
Is there a socio-political subtext?
Yes, though it’s filtered through a personal story. In the background are mistrust of institutions, social fatigue, and the clash between public rhetoric and street-level reality. It isn’t reducible to a political statement, but it keeps suggesting the era’s atmosphere fuels the protagonist’s breakdown.
Why does the film still influence cinema and pop culture?
It set a benchmark for psychological neo-noir/urban drama where the external world mirrors a character’s internal collapse. The idea of a lonely person inventing a role as judge and savior became a cultural archetype repeatedly revisited by modern films and series.
Are there people in the production team who became notable later but are mentioned less often today?
Yes. Beyond the most famous names, there are contributors whose work is more visible in professional breakdowns than in short audience summaries. Discussions of the film sometimes mention people like Diahnne Abbott, Frank Adu, Gino Ardito, Victor Argo, and Garth Avery.
Production
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Friends comments and ratings
I haven’t reviewed this imperishable film for almost 13 years. It’s time to refresh your impressions. Before watching it, it seems that I remember everything, and it will not be very interesting to watch, but as soon as I start, I will forget about all my reflections about the lack of novelty. This is exactly how it works with film masterpieces.
A legendary movie, it is not for nothing that it is considered one of the most beloved among popular directors.
A measured melancholic drama, surprising in places with its unpredictability of the plot. But for me there was nothing interesting in it.
A veteran with PTSD returns from Vietnam and finds no place for himself in New York: the city and the hero do not understand each other. Hypocrisy on all sides (politicians/hippies) makes you see them as enemies, and try in vain to save their imaginary victims. A kind of American prototype of Brother.
A very calm film, with the appropriate musical accompaniment. It’s a pleasure to watch this
The music is brilliant, the atmosphere is amazing, De Niro gives a truly outstanding performance, as does Jodie Foster. «All my life I have been haunted by loneliness. Everywhere: in bars, in cars, on sidewalks, in stores – everywhere. There’s no running away from him. The Lord made me lonely.»
No character backstory, long exposition, unclear motivation, good acting, some beautiful shots
Scorsese drama in which Robert De Niro plays a very complex role
Young, handsome and talented Deniro. I miss the backstory and internal motivation of the main character
DeNiro is good! Although I don’t share everyone’s enthusiasm for the film, it’s good, but not a masterpiece. I don’t understand why films about internal conflicts are so highly regarded. The Joker and H. Phoenix are very similar. The main character, like an overflowing shock, carries everything within himself and at the end of the film explodes!
The film is interesting, but somehow strange, especially at the end, it seems like he wanted to rid the world of bad people and help, but something went wrong. If you add more beautiful compositions and plot lines, it would be super, in fact, you can remember a film like Brother. That’s about the same style.
New York in the 70s, jazz, neon signs and wet streets from the rain – I was captivated by this atmosphere of the city at night.
For a picture from 1976, it’s just a cannon! Young DeNiro is on the warpath with mud on the streets of New York. Hello operator!
Why did this film receive so much love and honor? Boring, graphomaniac, childish, all on one note, with a disgusting hero. But he turned world cinema in his direction: an apology for evil, getting into the brain of a maniac. And we are still where this «Taxi Driver» took us in 1976.
The movie is good, depressing, but to some extent motivational, this is what can undoubtedly be called an auteur movie, with meaning, I recommend it, but be prepared, the movie is quite tough
12/104 In most movies with a similar character, we would try to empathize with Travis by showing the war he went through or highlighting his obvious mental disorder, which is not used to justify his behavior like other antiheroes.
The film received a rating for its atmosphere and musical accompaniment, but the plot remained unclear.
Scorsese’s favorite film so far, De Niro’s character is very impressive. The noir and rainy New York complemented this dark story of Taxi Driver perfectly.
Oh, what a depressing film! It was shot masterfully, the camera travels around the city at night, the jazz soundtrack, De Niro’s excellent acting – these are all pluses. But the main character, in my opinion, is not a fighter against evil and the filth of society, but a deeply traumatized teenager in a man’s body, thirsting for self-affirmation.
A classic neo-noir film with a languid pace of narration. If it weren’t for the director’s comments, I would insist that the ending is a figment of the protagonist’s imagination before his death. In general, I think this is a film that can be interpreted in different ways. If only there was a desire.
I liked the show of a strong independent man, the moment that you exist and try to do something, live, and ultimately invest in yourself and in life, this is very good, as is the beautiful filming.
I watched this film several times, the last viewing, for some reason, revealed that this film is similar to the film «Brother» by Balabanov. Previously, De Niro’s hero was perceived as a scumbag, but now he began to resemble Danila Bagrov. Strange…
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