---
title: "Taxi Driver"
year: 1976
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/taxi-driver"
fi1m_id: "taxi-driver"
imdb_id: "tt0075314"
tmdb_id: 103
wikidata_id: "Q47221"
fi1m_score: 92
critics_score: 89
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-12"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:12.806561+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Taxi Driver (1976)

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 1h 54m · MPA R · Crime, Drama

## Identity

Taxi Driver

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/taxi-driver
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** taxi-driver
- **IMDb ID:** tt0075314
- **TMDB ID:** 103
- **Wikidata ID:** Q47221
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/103, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q47221

**Fi1m score: 92** · Critics 89 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* Robert De Niro makes us nervous before he has done anything we could sensibly complain about

> Martin Scorsese’s crime drama makes a lonely man’s company frightening through Robert De Niro’s restraint and Bernard Herrmann’s music. We recommend it strongly, with one reservation: its attention to Travis leaves too little room for everyone else.

## Synopsis

Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is a lonely man in New York who wants to prove that his life counts for something. Martin Scorsese’s crime drama, written by Paul Schrader, follows his troubled view of the city and the people around him. Cybill Shepherd plays Betsy, Jodie Foster plays Iris, Harvey Keitel plays Sport and Peter Boyle plays Wizard. Travis wants to become somebody, but has little sense of how to reach another person. The film stays close to his thoughts, watching the city through the eyes of a man who struggles to belong.

## Review

*Taxi Driver* is a frightening film about loneliness, and we would recommend it even to someone with little interest in crime drama. Martin Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader stay so close to Travis Bickle that his view of other people begins to crowd out our own. The film asks us to spend time with him before we have decided how much we trust him. Robert De Niro plays Travis with a reserve that makes those 114 minutes uncomfortable.

De Niro’s guarded manner keeps us watching for something that might explain Travis. We felt frightened by how little he needed to do. His restraint, set against Bernard Herrmann’s ominous music, makes the quietness itself troubling. There is no reassuring sense that we have been allowed to see everything important about this man. Scorsese lets that uncertainty persist without supplying explanations.

Michael Chapman’s cinematography gives New York the credibility of a place observed in available light. Yet the camera is so closely attached to Travis’s way of seeing that the streets never feel like neutral evidence about the city. We are being asked to look where he looks, with all the limitations that brings. Chapman makes the setting persuasive enough for this to be unsettling: we have to keep reminding ourselves that Travis’s judgement is not reliable.

Schrader’s dark humour matters because a film this intent on one troubled man could become solemn and repetitive. The jokes briefly interrupt the dread, then leave us with the same difficult man. Editors Tom Rolf and Melvin Shapiro sustain the concentration on him; we rarely get the relief of feeling that someone else has taken charge of our attention. Herrmann’s music follows the shifts in Travis’s mood, and its more open expressiveness gives us something to listen for beneath De Niro’s reserve.

Our reservation is how little room this leaves for anyone else. Cybill Shepherd’s Betsy and Jodie Foster’s Iris have to compete with a central performance that keeps pulling us back, and we wanted more time to consider them separately from Travis. Both are welcome presences because they make us curious about someone other than him. Scorsese’s determination to keep Travis at the centre sometimes prevents that curiosity from going anywhere.

The crime-film question of who deserves our loyalty becomes difficult here. De Niro holds our attention so completely that we can find ourselves feeling sorry for Travis before asking whether we trust him. Schrader and Scorsese make us examine that response, rather than treating loneliness as sufficient grounds to excuse a man. We can understand the wish to be somebody and still be alarmed by the person asking us to recognise him.

It carries an 18 certificate, and we would take its capacity to disturb seriously. This is a film to watch when there is time afterwards to talk, not something to put on for company while doing something else. We recommend it without promising an agreeable evening.

*Fi1m score 92, published 12 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The critics agree, and have done for fifty years. All sixteen reviews are positive, and the praise settles in the same places: Robert De Niro’s wired, withheld performance as Travis Bickle, Bernard Herrmann’s score, and a twitchy, seedy Seventies New York shot largely in natural light. Several single out Paul Schrader’s script for building a case history without lecturing, and Scorsese’s camera for keeping us locked inside Bickle’s head. Most say the film has grown more unsettling with age, and mean it as praise.

The spread is narrow, from strong approval to unqualified, and the differences are of emphasis rather than verdict. RogerEbert.com insists it is a portrait of one mind rather than a New York story; Den of Geek makes the city itself the monster. The AV Club notes its history of being misread as glorifying violence. The Ringer, the coolest of the group, reads it mainly through present-day lonely male rage and finds the ending unsettling rather than satisfying. Nobody calls it comfortable viewing.

## Straight answers

**Is Taxi Driver worth watching?**

*Taxi Driver* is worth watching for almost anyone prepared to be frightened by a lonely man rather than by action, and we scored it 92. Robert De Niro's restraint and Bernard Herrmann's music make the quiet stretches the most troubling. Our one reservation is that the film leaves too little room for Cybill Shepherd and Jodie Foster.

**How long is Taxi Driver, and what is it rated?**

*Taxi Driver* runs 1h 54m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a crime and drama film.

**Where can I watch Taxi Driver in the US?**

*Taxi Driver* is not on any streaming or rental service in the US at the moment. It is available in 31 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Taxi Driver, and is it suitable for children?**

*Taxi Driver* carries an 18 certificate in the UK and is not suitable for children, nor in our view for most teenagers. The fear comes less from what is shown than from spending 114 minutes inside the head of a man whose judgement cannot be trusted. Watch it when there is time afterwards to talk about it.

**How does Taxi Driver compare to The Conversation?**

*Taxi Driver* and [*The Conversation*](https://film.one/film/the-conversation) both follow isolated men whose way of watching other people becomes hard to share, but they work differently. Coppola's film is a suspense thriller, more tightly plotted and easier to recommend as a gripping evening. Scorsese's is the more disturbing and the stronger, though it is the harder company to keep.

**What should I watch after Taxi Driver?**

After *Taxi Driver*, try [*The Conversation*](https://film.one/film/the-conversation) (1974, Fi1m 92): Another isolated man whose attention to other people becomes frighteningly difficult to share. Then [*Le Samouraï*](https://film.one/film/le-samourai) (1967, Fi1m 88): For another guarded performance, with loneliness made visible through rooms and routines; and [*The King of Comedy*](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy) (1982, Fi1m 88): Scorsese and De Niro make the desire for recognition painfully funny.

### Reviews we read (16)

- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): The film is a brilliant nightmare portrait of Travis Bickle's inner world rather than a New York story. It singles out the subjective camerawork and De Niro's veiled, compelling performance for praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/taxi-driver-1976)
- **The Times** (★★★★★): The critic finds the film a difficult but essential watch on its 50th anniversary re-release, highlighting Robert De Niro's blistering performance and the twitchy depiction of Seventies New York as key strengths. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/taxi-driver-review-robert-de-niro-6bb3b6lz9)
- **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (5/5): The critic calls the film an unflinching plunge into the human soul whose anti-hero Travis Bickle remains painfully relevant, treating him with empathy as a war-scarred, isolated man. They single out Bernard Herrmann’s ominous score and De Niro’s restrained, honest performance as creating an impossibly perfect, evocative tone of dread, pity and New York cool. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/taxi-driver)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's enduring power to unnerve and rivet audiences decades later. Highlights include the tight, darkly funny script by Paul Schrader, Scorsese's directorial fireworks, and De Niro's wired central performance. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/taxi-driver-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): The film remains a powerful and significant work decades later, with its shocking script, De Niro's gutsy performance, and masterful score still making a strong impression. It has become woven into American cultural mythology and its themes of violence and isolation feel increasingly relevant. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-02-11-ca-34582-story.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Rob Humanick (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a high-water mark of American cinema and Scorsese's possible finest work, commending its immersive subjectivity through Travis Bickle's perspective, De Niro's performance, Bernard Herrmann's score, and its lasting relevance as a character study and commentary on violence and media. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/taxi-driver-bd/)
- **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Taxi Driver a cinematic tour de force and one of the most significant films of 1976. It is praised as a gritty, urgent snapshot of New York’s seedier side that reflects American alienation with unerring accuracy, anchored by Robert De Niro’s compelling performance. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/19/scorsese-de-niro-taxi-driver-review-archive-1976)
- **Variety**, A.D. Murphy (90/100, inferred): The film is a powerful, frighteningly plausible case history of a quiet loner turning violent, with excellent credit to Scorsese and a smash performance by De Niro. It singles out the quasi-documentary look, Herrmann's score, and the brutal climactic sequence. [Read](https://variety.com/1976/film/reviews/taxi-driver-1200423788/)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Taxi Driver as a powerful, enduring classic about madness and alienation in the city, highlighting its immersive atmosphere, De Niro's performance, and Scorsese's direction despite its divisive legacy and potential misreadings as glorifying violence. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/taxi-driver-remains-one-of-the-best-and-most-troubling-1798265454)
- **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (80/100, inferred): Scorsese's film offers one of the most compelling portraits of a psychotic personality on screen, with De Niro superb in the lead. The review highlights the screenplay's case-history approach and the violent intensity of the climax. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/15/archives/film-view-scorseses-disturbing-taxi-driver.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it an extraordinary film with De Niro delivering a powerhouse performance as Travis Bickle. She praises the supporting cast, cinematography using natural light, and the score for capturing the protagonist's shifting moods. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/taxi-driver-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **Den of Geek**, Tony Sokol (85/100, inferred): The critic calls Taxi Driver a deeply nuanced masterpiece that portrays New York City itself as a looming monster spawning sociopathic killers. They single out its prescient vision of urban decay and the lush, impressionistic beauty of its nocturnal street photography for praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/taxi-driver-a-look-at-nycs-inglorious-past/)
- **Collider**, William Fischer (B+): The critic finds the film a surreal, nightmarish portrayal of pathological isolation that holds up artistically and feels relevant today; praises Scorsese’s direction, De Niro’s performance, and Schrader’s script for painting Bickle’s portrait without didacticism. [Read](https://collider.com/taxi-driver-review-martin-scorsese-isolation-disturbing-power/)
- **Film Stories**, Ryan Lambie (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights Taxi Driver's blood-drenched finale as a horrifying fever dream that remains powerfully shocking due to its gritty realism and matter-of-fact violence. They praise Scorsese's detached, unflinching approach to depicting the ugliness of brutality as a standout element. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/martin-scorsese-subtle-talent-horror/)
- **Polygon**, Jesse Hassenger (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Taxi Driver still disturbingly contemporary half a century later, with its portrayal of incoherent personal politics and lonely rage feeling chillingly familiar in the present. De Niro's performance is singled out for vividly conveying the character's mixed-up motivations without exploitation. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/taxi-driver-50-years-later-scorsese/)
- **The Ringer**, Lindsay Zoladz (75/100, inferred): The critic argues that Taxi Driver is already the Taxi Driver for the age of Trump and incels, eerily prescient in its depiction of lonely, entitled male rage. The surreal ending and themes of rejection and violence are highlighted as particularly resonant and unsettling today. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2018/07/30/movies/taxi-driver-martin-scorsese-paul-schrader-incels)

## Details

- **Director:** Martin Scorsese
- **Director:** Martin Scorsese
- **Writer:** Paul Schrader
- **Cinematography:** Michael Chapman
- **Editor:** Melvin Shapiro, Tom Rolf
- **Music:** Bernard Herrmann
- **Costume design:** Ruth Morley
- **Producer:** Julia Phillips, Michael Phillips
- **Cast:** Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle; Jodie Foster as Iris; Cybill Shepherd as Betsy; Harvey Keitel as Sport; Peter Boyle as Wizard; Leonard Harris as Charles Palantine; Albert Brooks as Tom; Diahnne Abbott as Concession Girl
- **Runtime:** 1h 54m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 9 February 1976
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1976); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1976); [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Winner, 1976)
- **Budget:** $2 million
- **Box office:** $29 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdqCqDSTVNI

## Where to watch in the US

Not streaming, renting or buying in the US at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, EC, FR, HK, ID, IE, IN, IS, JP, LT, MX, MY, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, VN. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1977: Best Actor (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- Cannes Film Festival 1976: Palme d'Or (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Conversation* (1974), Fi1m 92: Another isolated man whose attention to other people becomes frighteningly difficult to share — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-conversation.md)
- *Le Samouraï* (1967), Fi1m 88: For another guarded performance, with loneliness made visible through rooms and routines — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/le-samourai.md)
- *The King of Comedy* (1982), Fi1m 88: Scorsese and De Niro make the desire for recognition painfully funny — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy.md)
- *Oslo, August 31st* (2011): Another city seen through loneliness, with more tenderness and fewer threats
- *Burning* (2018), Fi1m 72: For patient observation of loneliness and resentment, without easy explanations for either — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mississippi-burning.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/taxi-driver