Case File 050: Taxi Driver

December 16, 2021 / Christopher Schrader

As controversial as it was influential, Taxi Driver remains an unflinchingly uncomfortable portrait of how one man's self-imposed loneliness spirals out into explosive violence. On this episode, we're taking a closer look at Rober DeNiro's iconic performance as Travis Bickle and investigating how he became one of cinema's defining antiheroes.

Topics include: the low point in screenwriter Paul Schrader's own life that laid the foundation for this story, why Martin Scorsese responded so strongly to the script and his dogged determination to get the film made, the ingenuity they used to overcome their lack of resources, aspects of Travis's character that had to be downplayed in the final version, how a popular interpretation of the ending ignores some of the darker aspects of the intended message, the film's unfortunate connection to a real life tragedy, the sequel that never materialized, and much more!

Quick note - there were some issues with Mike’s audio in this one. We apologize and we’re working on it.

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