Certified fresh ’70s crime thriller is the perfect film to descend into madness
Author: Robert Skuch Published
The more I revisit classic antihero stories, the more I realize they are often celebrated for the wrong reasons. Many edgy twenty-somethings put Patrick Bateman and Tyler Durden on a pedestal, but they often completely miss the point. These characters are the objects of satire and cautionary tales designed to demonstrate exactly how not to behave. The same applies to Michael Douglas’s William Foster fall. Even if his anger feels understandable at times, he still reacts to circumstances like a complete Karen. However, the best example of the worst antihero to celebrate is Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 masterpiece, taxi driver.
Don’t get this twisted. I love every movie I just mentioned, and I think they’re all culturally significant in their own twisted way. The problem is how people talk about them. Discussion always turns to how “badass” these protagonists are, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s some serious involuntary energy with how taxi driver These discussions are frame-based and completely miss the mark. This isn’t vigilante wish-fulfillment. It’s a portrait of a desperately sad man who can’t handle adult life and lashes out at society while others in similar situations try to cope without burning everything down.
travis a bit intense
taxi driver Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is an honorably discharged Marine who now works as a taxi driver in New York City. He chose this job because it suited his insomnia and loneliness. He spends his free time wandering around adult movie theaters and restaurants with other off-duty taxi drivers. The most important figure in this loose circle is the Wizard (Peter Boyle), who is equally disillusioned with the city’s decline but sees it as an unfortunate reality rather than something to be outraged about.
Travis, by contrast, always carries a resentment on his shoulders, without any real desire to improve his situation, until he finally explodes. He develops a brief romance with Betsy (Sbill Shepherd), which immediately collapses when he decides that taking her to see one of his favorite X-rated movies would be a suitable date idea. Spoiler alert: Taking someone you barely know to a midnight Skins movie is not a good date idea.
Frustrated, discouraged, and increasingly frustrated, Travis closed in even further. This is where the energy of involuntary celibacy really comes into play. Travis is not unattractive. He makes pretty good money. But when he starts falling in love, his response isn’t self-reflection. This is resentment. After a falling out with Betsy, he purchased a gun and began to adopt a tough-guy attitude, culminating in his now-iconic “Are you talking to me?” routine.
Travis needs to vent his anger, but he doesn’t strike you as the kind of guy who takes long walks or tries to meditate. Violence becomes the path of least resistance. He knew he wanted to hurt someone. Lingering tension taxi driver The key is who the person is and whether any part of his ideas make sense.
To redeem or not to redeem? that’s the problem
taxi driver The ending is deliberately ambiguous and tends to haunt, especially on first viewing. On the one hand, it’s easy to understand how isolation and obsession can push a person to a psychological breaking point. On the other hand, this movie is like a master class in how not to show it when the world is hostile.
We saw the same contrast in 1993 fall By William Foster and Detective Prendergast. Both were treated harshly. One person will respond in a violent way. The other is based on responsibility and community, leading to better results. Dynamic in taxi driver Travis and Wizard reflect this. They have the same job and a similar sense of loneliness, but their perspectives lead them down very different paths.
This is not an argument against celebrating these films. Quite the opposite. taxi driver remains a damning indictment of what unchecked male loneliness can curdle into when combined with entitlement and rage. These movies deserve to be celebrated. Not so with characters. Patrick Bateman, Tyler Durden, William Foster and Travis Bickle were never role models. They are carefully constructed warnings, vetted by film masters, to illustrate the spiraling consequences of irresponsibility.
taxi driver Currently streaming on Max.
