Pablo Orlando Martinez Hernandez

A01567317

Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiors del Tecnologico de Monterrey.

Film Analysis: from Lumiere to Netflix

Film Critique Review

Taxi Driver is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and released in 1976. It tells

the story of a former Marine named Travis Bickle, who is introduced in New York

City. Travis suffers from insomnia and spends his nights driving around the city,

watching adult films to distract himself. He decides to become a taxi driver to

make some money from this problem, and he is quickly accepted for the job

because he doesn't care who gets in his cab or where they're heading to. He

tells us that at night, all the trash comes out: prostitutes, drug addicts, homeless

people, dealers, and that something should be done about them. Later that

night, he goes out with his friends, and one of them suggests he should carry a

weapon for protection, Travis initially refuses, but his friend tells him the offer

stands if he ever needs it.

One day, while resting from work, Travis sees a woman, tall, blonde, and blue-

eyed, the personification of an angel on Earth. He becomes interested in this

woman named Betsy. One day, he watches Betsy while she's working, and his

behavior seems a bit strange while he's in his taxi drinking a soda, Betsy

notices this and tells a friend she was talking to. Eventually, the friend comes

out to talk to Travis, but he quickly goes away. Days later, he gains the courage

to visit Betsy, pretending he wants to volunteer to support Senator Palantine. He

invites Betsy for a cup of tea, and she accepts, leading to a warm date, Travis

ask her out for another day to go the Cinema, which she also agrees.

One night, while Travis is working as a taxi driver, he took a surprise that

Senator Palatine was in his cab to take him to his hotel. The senator asks Travis

what he dislikes the most about the city, and Travis says there's too much

garbage, it smells like an open sewer, and the city needs to be cleaned up. The

senator acknowledges the idea as difficult but worth considering.

Later that night, Travis picks up a girl in his taxi, but for some reason, he doesn't

drive. Then, the girl's boyfriend arrives and forcibly takes her away from the taxi.

Travis witnesses the situation, but the boyfriend simply tells Travis to forget

about it and hands him $20 bucks, which Travis keeps.

On their scheduled date, Travis takes Betsy to an adult movie theater, which

she initially refuses but eventually agrees to. However, she leaves the screening

early because she felt that was the way of Travis telling her to fuck, Travis tries

to bring her back to the screen, a similar situation to the previous night occurs,

with Travis playing the role of the "boyfriend." this time, Betsy manages to leave

in another taxi, while Travis watches her go.

One night, a man asks Travis to follow a car and wait outside an apartment

building. Travis initially refuses but eventually agrees. The man tells Travis to

watch for a girl with the lights on in her room. Travis confirms this and is told
that she's the man's wife, but the apartment is not his. The man tells Travis that

he was going to kill her with a gun, and then the scene changes.

Travis sends flowers to Betsy. When he calls her, she answers in a cold way

and hangs up. Travis tries to call again, but she doesn't answer. Furious with

Betsy, Travis goes to her workplace, where he is met by her friend Tom, who

advises him to avoid causing troubles and that he should leave. Before leaving,

Travis tells Betsy that she's just like all the others and that it was all a pretty lie.

Travis while he was working at night observes the same girl with a friend which

he tried to pick up earlier being taken away by her boyfriend, who he knows

realizes is a prostitute. He follows them but eventually decides not to intervene

and just fades away.

Travis decides to buy a gun, and he is presented with several options. He is

particularly drawn to a "Elephant killer” gun but decides to purchase all the

weapons that were shown to him. When he returns home, Travis starts a

transformation, giving up junk food and beginning to exercise. He practices with

his guns and sharpens his knives.

Travis decides to attend Senator Palantine's rally, but he changes his

appearance, shaving his head and adopting a punk-like style. He brings the

“Elephant Killer”, intending to assassinate the senator. This decision is a

contradiction in contrast to his previous admiration for Palantine. However, his

plan is overthrown when security notices him so he runs.

This part of the story may be confusing for many, as Travis suddenly decides to

kill someone he previously supported. It's unclear whether it's because he didn't

want Palantine, who he perceived as a do-gooder who embraces that the power

should be from the people which Travis considers as garbage, or if it's an act of

revenge against Betsy to gain her attention by demonstrating how far he's

willing to go. There is also a symbolism in Palantine making him an elephant

that why Travis decided to use the "Elephant Killer" gun, representing Palantine

as strength and a desire to resolve problems.

The following night, Travis goes to rescue Iris, the girl he had observed with the

pimp. He tries to buy her, but Matthew, the pimp in charge, initially refuses

because he doesn't recognize Travis due to his new look. Travis ends up

shooting Matthew and then goes after the apartment building's owner, leaving

him without a hand. However, Matthew is not dead yet and manages to hit

Travis with a gunshot to the neck leading to a cut, before Travis finally kills him.

Travis goes to the room where Iris is held and kills the gangster, then the

apartment owner in the same apartment then Travis attempts suicide, but he

runs out of bullets. The police arrives at the scene and finds Travis sitting in the

room, repeatedly miming shooting himself in the head, possibly due to the

extasis of his actions. The movie ends with news headlines reporting "Taxi

driver battles gangsters" and is mentioned that Iris has returned to school, living

with her parents, who are grateful to Travis. Months later, Travis has a customer

waiting in his taxi, and it turns out to be Betsy. Travis takes her to her

destination and refuses to accept any payment from her.

In my opinion, this might be a confusing and slow movie because we are seeing

how a character changes but not in the normal way a character would do,

therefore, it completely changes the point of view, making this character more

complex and also terrifying in many moments, also the performance from

Robert De Niro’s extraordinary, he knew how to make this character in almost a

perfect way. Also the music that is in the movie complements the scenes that

really needs it.

Taxi driver intending or without intending makes many meanings in their plot,

such as the topics of loneliness, violence, isolation, madness and the line

between the crazy and the sane, that is why is such a great movie.

The loneliness is represented in the movie by Travis Bickle, and that he hasn’t

changed that much since he was a kid; The violence, in how that years it was

something normal and not as wrong killing, the black male have an image of

being the wrongful people because there was an extremy racist in those times;

The madness is in how Travis Bickle reacts to things like being rejected by

Betsy; And the line between the crazy and the sane is when sometimes he does

good like saving Iris yet the wrong such as killing palatine.