Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) is a disturbed ex-Marine Vietnam vet. He's suffering from insomnia, and spends his nights driving a cab. He's sexually perverted, and obsessed with Betsy (Cybill Shepherd). On top of it all, he wants to save 12 year old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).

Who was the guy obsessed with Taxi Driver?

Obsession with Jodie Foster

Hinckley became obsessed with the 1976 film Taxi Driver, in which disturbed protagonist Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) plots to assassinate a presidential candidate. Bickle was partly based on the diaries of Arthur Bremer, who attempted to assassinate George Wallace.

Who did Taxi Driver inspire?

Taxi Driver has influenced many subsequent films, but it is more famous for having influenced another would-be assassin, John Hinckley, Jr. Hinkley was obsessed with Taxi Driver,and more specifically with Jodie Foster, who plays Iris.

Who was the man inspired by the Taxi Driver?

In the years leading up to John F. Hinckley Jr.'s attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, he became obsessed with the movie "Taxi Driver." Hinckley saw the movie at least fifteen times, read and re-read the book it was based upon, and bought the soundtrack to the film, listening to it for hours on end.

Why did Travis Bickle go crazy?

Martin Scorsese's classic 1976 film stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam veteran turned New York City cab driver whose increasingly disturbed mental state due to his PTSD begins to drive him to more and more violent actions as he attempts to rid the city of what he sees as the "scum" on the streets.

Taxi Driver A Study of Masculinity & Existentialism

What mental illness did Travis Bickle have?

Those with schizotypal personality disorder tend to feel uncomfortable and have a difficult time in social circumstances, although they may still be friendly towards others. In the film Taxi Driver, Robert De Niro's character Travis Bickle seems to be suffering from this disorder.

Why did Travis take Betsy to a dirty movie?

As the story unfolds, we learn that there is something seriously off with Travis's social radar. He takes Betsy to a dirty movie under the apparently sincere impression that it's a perfectly normal thing to do on a first date (he is always earnest, never teasing or lascivious).

Is the taxi driver autistic?

Taxi Driver (1976) A lonely depressed mental Vietnam vet, Travis Bickles is stable but mentally unstable man. It is unclear of what he is suffering off, he could suffer from a mild form of autism, maybe PTSD from going through nam, or even possibly being a psychopath. It was never stated.

Is Taxi Driver a true story in real life?

A Taxi Driver (dir. Jang Hoon) is based loosely on the true story of a taxi driver who drove the West German reporter, Jürgen Hinzpeter, from Seoul, South Korea's capital, to the southern city of Gwangju in May of 1980.

Why is the taxi driver so famous?

Most infamously, Bickle and Taxi Driver were cited as the primary inspiration for attempted Ronald Reagan assassin John Hinkley Jr., who was harboring delusions that such a violent act could attract the attention of Jodie Foster, the actress who portrays the 12-year-old sex worker Iris, who Travis violently “rescues” ...

Why is Taxi Driver controversial?

The film was theatrically released by Columbia Pictures on February 8, 1976, and was a critical and commercial success despite generating controversy for its graphic violence in the climactic ending and the casting of then 12-year-old Foster in the role of a child prostitute.

Was the Joker inspired by Taxi Driver?

Martin Scorsese's violent 1976 classic, about a cab-driving insomniac on a killing spree, was a key influence on Todd Phillips's Joker, for better or worse—but mostly for worse. Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver; Joaquin Phoenix in Joker.

Why did Taxi Driver end like that?

What does the ending of Taxi Driver mean? One theory argues that the ending reflects Bickle's subjective fantasies rather than objective fact, and even claims he is slowly dying. However, this has been counteracted several times by none other than Shader, De Niro, and even Scorsese himself.

Why did he shave his head in Taxi Driver?

Why does Travis shave his head into a Mohawk? Martin Scorsese had heard stories about how some soldiers in the Vietnam War would shave their heads into Mohawks before going into a battle in which they were sure they would not survive.

Who is the serial killer in the taxi driver case?

George and Michel Tanielian (born in Qamishli, Syria; years of birth unknown), also known as The Taxi Driver Killers, are a pair of Syrian brothers and serial killers, responsible for the murders of 11 taxi drivers and passengers in Lebanon's Matn District between July and November 2011.

Who was the taxi driver that killed people?

Alexander Ivanovich Elistratov (Russian: Александр Иванович Елистратов; 1954–2011), known as The Bloody Taxi Driver (Russian: Кровавый таксист), was a Russian robber and serial killer who killed six of his passengers in Moscow between 2005 and 2007, in addition to non-fatally robbing three others.

Is the girl in Taxi Driver really 12?

Jodie Foster Says Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro Were Scared of Her on 'Taxi Driver' Set: “It Was a Little Awkward” “I was 12. And they had to say things like, you know, 'Can you pull his fly down? '” the Hollywood legend recalled while appearing on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Did the last scene of Taxi Driver really happen?

Summary. The ending of Taxi Driver may not be Travis Bickle's dying fantasy, despite popular beliefs and the idealized turn of events that occur. According to the original screenwriter, Travis is not intended to be dead at the end of the film, and the scenes are meant to be happening in reality.

Who was the Taxi Driver who killed his wife?

A taxi driver who murdered his wife with a hammer and a knife in a cocaine-fuelled frenzy while their children slept has been jailed for life. Sajid Pervez, 37, struck 38-year-old Abida Karim with a hammer over the head at least 15 times before using a knife to slash her throat, a court heard today.

Is Travis Bickle evil?

Although, the most contradictory trait of Travis, is his various violent thoughts. Even though Travis wants to be looked at as a brave crime fighter, he mostly does the things he does, due to his lust for violence and his extremely cynical perspective of the world.

Is Travis Bickle an incel?

The lonely and violent Travis is a Vietnam War veteran who befriends a child prostitute as his mental health deteriorates. Some film writers have described Travis as an incel-like character.

What is the message of the movie Taxi Driver?

Loneliness in Crowds

Travis resents that the people in his cab pretend he doesn't exist, and in a way, New York itself is an extension of the little world of the taxi: The city is full of people who don't pay attention to each other and who pretend Travis isn't there. Travis isn't the only lonely character in the film.

Why can t Travis sleep in Taxi Driver?

He became taxi driver at night because of insomnia. Later he also developed some hallucinations just because he's depressed. So he's suffering from insomnia first and then also from depression and hallucination.

Why does Betsy call Travis a contradiction?

Travis is a walking contradiction. He is disgusted by sex and by prostitutes, yet he surrounds himself with pornography and takes prostitutes around in his cab. He wants to be good to his body, yet he constantly takes pills and pours schnapps on his breakfast.

Why does Travis put his hand on the stove?

This moment of Joe Davola holding his hand to a flame is a reference to the film Taxi Driver, where DeNiro's Travis Bickle holds his hand over the open range on his stove. In both, they are "training" themselves to become tougher.