1976 | Taxi Drivermovie |

At its core, the film is a character study of Travis Bickle, a Vietnam War veteran struggling with insomnia and a profound inability to connect with others.

The Brilliance of “Taxi Driver” (1976) | Peter Lujan ('23) Taxi DriverMovie | 1976

: Travis chooses to drive a cab because he "drives around most nights anyway," but the vehicle quickly becomes a mobile isolation chamber. It allows him to observe the "filth" of New York City from behind a glass barrier, reinforcing his sense of superiority and detachment. At its core, the film is a character

: Travis’s awkward, disastrous attempt to date Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) highlights his lack of social awareness. When he takes her to a pornographic theater—the only social space he truly knows—her rejection catalyzes his descent into violent ideation. The City as a Mirror of Madness : Travis’s awkward, disastrous attempt to date Betsy