I watched it last night. I had forgotten what it was all about. I knew he went nuts and shot a bunch of people- and that it was very graphic- it was! I had forgotten most of it, because it's been years since I saw it.
I wasn't picking up on something...
so don't read the next stuff if you have never seen it...but I want some answers about something:
*****Spoliers*****
At the end of the movie- after Travis kills the pimp, and the other people at the place where Jodi Foster is...they shoot him in the process of everything happening, and he's shot a few times...and he leans back on the couch and you think he's dead, but then later he's reading a letter written by Iris's father (Jodi Foster), and he's thanking him for getting her to go home, and he has pictures on the wall, naming him a hero-the father says he tried to visit him but he was in a coma (Travis)-so I guess that was from the gun shots.
But...I didn't know if that was some sort of fantasy ...because I thought the whole purpose of him having those guns and all the stuff he was doing- was that he was going to kill Palantine (the political guy), and he wasn't able to do that...so he kills these pimps...
So did he get named a Hero because they think he saved Iris from those people?
He was loaded with illegal guns, and had his head shaved in a mohawk...and was nuts- I wasn't sure how he could murder people at point blank range and come out of it a hero.
I thought...did I miss something???
Posted by Sammy Hain Invasion (Member # 3150) on :
That scene is very much in debate
Some people feel that he was indeed viewed as a hero and others (like me) think that the last scene was his dying fantasy
One interesting thing too about the last scene though is at the very end the way he looks in the rearview mirror and how he has a look of fear like he feels his job was left undone.
Great movie and one of my all time favourites.
Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
I thought it was a dying fantasy....I think he died.
Because who would really think that was heroic...where was any of it heroic?? She was a prostitute- not someone's little perfect girl that was held against her will...she was a mess, and the way things were in the area they lived- that stuff happened all the time, and who would think him shooting those people was heroic? Except him.
I actually thought the Pimp was a pretty nice guy- considering what a Pimp is, and what they could be like, he was actually really nice to Jodi Foster...so I actually felt kind of bad that he got killed. Yes- he was a scum...but I don't know why he was who Travis killed. He could have just taken Iris away from there. It seemed like he could have talked her out of that life style.
Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
The scene where he kills the guy robbing the store, and the store owner tells him to get going, that he'll take care of it, and the kid is dead, but the store owner starts beating him with a stick...that was awful.
I never understand anyone who stays working at a store that gets robbed 7 times in a month...I would sell all my stuff, and move...I wouldn't care if I lived in a homeless shelter somewhere- they have homeless shelters in every town in every state- so why stay somewhere that you have to live like that.
Posted by MotleyRulz (Member # 3598) on :
Great movie. I always thought the mentioned scene was fantasy. That's a pretty bold statement saying you'd sell your stuff and live in a homeless shelter. I volunteered at one in college and trust me you never wanna go there to stay unless it's a have to. I wouldn't sell my business because of multiple robberies anyways and considering the state of the economy most of the ones here are always full........
Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
I think women have more options, because there are lots of shelters for women and children ...and they aren't horrible. My mom worked at one, and there's one up the road from me, and it's very nice. I'd do that temporary, until I could figure something else out...instead of living in a high crime area.
I am not talking about staying in a shelter in a city- because what would be the point...I am talking about leaving the area all together.
Posted by MotleyRulz (Member # 3598) on :
Most people would research the area thouroughly to find out numerous things including if it's a high crime area before investing in the business.......
Posted by Colt 45 (Member # 4940) on :
quote:Originally posted by ISIS: I watched it last night. I had forgotten what it was all about. I knew he went nuts and shot a bunch of people- and that it was very graphic- it was! I had forgotten most of it, because it's been years since I saw it.
I wasn't picking up on something...
so don't read the next stuff if you have never seen it...but I want some answers about something:
*****Spoliers*****
At the end of the movie- after Travis kills the pimp, and the other people at the place where Jodi Foster is...they shoot him in the process of everything happening, and he's shot a few times...and he leans back on the couch and you think he's dead, but then later he's reading a letter written by Iris's father (Jodi Foster), and he's thanking him for getting her to go home, and he has pictures on the wall, naming him a hero-the father says he tried to visit him but he was in a coma (Travis)-so I guess that was from the gun shots.
But...I didn't know if that was some sort of fantasy ...because I thought the whole purpose of him having those guns and all the stuff he was doing- was that he was going to kill Palantine (the political guy), and he wasn't able to do that...so he kills these pimps...
So did he get named a Hero because they think he saved Iris from those people?
He was loaded with illegal guns, and had his head shaved in a mohawk...and was nuts- I wasn't sure how he could murder people at point blank range and come out of it a hero.
I thought...did I miss something???
I think that as much as anything as far as the being a hero part shows the way that the Newspaper culture in New York City in the 60's and 70's was. There were THIRTEEN different daily newspapers in NYC at one time during that time period.
In the movie 61* one sports reporter from one paper says to another sportsreporter from a rival paper, "Hey with as many newspapers as there are in this town, we all can't write the same thing".
The way I see it is that a Newspaper guy looked at it as Travis shoots 3 bad guys and saves a little girl and then runs with it.
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
Excellent movie, I think 'Mean Streets' is slightly better because Harvey Kietel & DeNiro get to act in more scenes together. I agree its probably a toned down fantasy, the first one Travis has is when Cybil Shepard is walking down the street.
Travis has the look and demenour of the war vet down to a tee, many embittered veterans of today have similar mannerisms.
Posted by Shamwow (Member # 7989) on :
I think all of it is real. I always thought part of the point was that, had he succeeded in killing the politician, he would have been an infamous maniac, but by acting on the same impulses he becomes a hero (to some at least) by killing some low lives.
Posted by x0x0ilymucho (Member # 6772) on :
that movie is sooo graphic and very hard to decipher it still confuses me btw luv the name shamwow lol!
Posted by JAY LEE (Member # 6345) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shamwow: I think all of it is real. I always thought part of the point was that, had he succeeded in killing the politician, he would have been an infamous maniac, but by acting on the same impulses he becomes a hero (to some at least) by killing some low lives.
That's the correct assesment!
Posted by LoverswithCassie (Member # 7794) on :
There is something that has just crossed my mind. Do any of you know about a documentary, directed by Martin Scorsese as well, entitled American Boy? It is about Steven Prince who is a friend of Martin's and you are acquainted with him as the travelling gun merchant on Taxi Driver.
Posted by Lovers with Cassie (Member # 7794) on :
I came across this documentary about the making of Taxi Driver on YouTube and decided to post it on here.
Hahaha. I watched Taxi Driver for the first time this year and I loved it! Loved the crazy!!
Posted by Nostalgic for the '80's (Member # 37454) on :
Though this is old news to most, I first saw the regular Blu (not 4K) of "Taxi Driver" several years ago. Wow! The picture quality is sharp, the colors are vivid, and the print still has an appropriate amount of grain. Truly Superb. This may be the best individual Blu release of a film I've ever seen..WHEN you take into account the vast improvement over previous releases. Kudos & Thanks to all involved in producing this.
Re: the film itself, this is definitely one of my all time favorite movies. Both disturbing & brilliant, which is something that is hard to achieve. IMHO it's DeNiro's best film, and also Scorsese's best as well. It truly captures a time & place perfectly; when watching this film you feel like you're right there in NYC back in the mid-'70's - this is also difficult to achieve, but is pulled off extremely well here.
I also like the strong film noir aspect - Travis' cruising down the NY City streets at night with the neon lights, shadowy figures, etc. is quintessential noir, and evokes a great mood/atmosphere. The sublime score by Bernard Hermann adds to this feeling as well; I liked the initially smooth jazzy quality to this, followed by those harsher, more foreboding sounds. Well done.
Here's some other comments I had about the film:
First of all, I've seen the film various times and never did I think that the ending of the movie (the letter from Iris' parents, the newspaper article, Travis recovered & back to driving taxis, seeing Betsy again, etc.) was anything other than something that actually happened & wasn't open to interpretation. The first I heard that some people suspected it was just Travis' dying fantasy were online articles/forums discussing/interpreting the film. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that in '70's NYC, someone that rescued a young girl from degradation would be regarded as a hero.
Also wanted to address Travis taking Betsy to an adult theater for a first date: One explanation is that it shows how clueless Travis is in regards to women; It may be he genuinely thought that Betsy wouldn't have a problem with seeing the film. And, I could understand his taking her if they had a conversation beforehand & he got the impression she wouldn't mind, but obviously this didn't happen. This goes along with my strong impression that Travis hasn't dated much, if ever?! However, another possibility is that he wanted Betsy to reject him and so he did something to make sure she did so; maybe he thought Betsy was too good for him/out of his league, and there may also have been some self-loathing on his part.
And, I felt the conversation that Travis had with Iris in the diner/deli quite significant; he was telling her to go back home to her parents & live a "normal" life, etc. However, IMHO he was doing this partially because he was bemoaning the fact that he himself was estranged from his parents - he didn't seem to have much contact with them other than sending them birthday cards in which he lies about having a supposedly lucrative & mysterious job, a great girlfriend, etc. He obviously wasn't close to his family, and probably never saw them or spoke to them.
There was an interesting interview with Jodie Foster I saw on the Special features of an early TD DVD. In this, she mentioned that, in her opinion, the Iris character would not stay at home with her parents after being "saved" by Travis, but would probably run away again at some point soon after. Probably true, and when I saw the end of the film with the voice-over by the parents & the newspaper articles, it seemed like Iris would run away again - she didn't seem like the type to stay at home with her convervative parents, go to school, & lead a "normal" life...
When I first saw the film, I felt the Tom character (Albert Brooks) was out of place in a serious drama; probably because by the time I finally saw TD in 2003, I had already seen Brooks in many comedies. Plus, he obviously (though subtly) played the character for laughs in his TD scenes (which were admittedly few). However, when watching the movie later, I realized that the character is perfect in the film. Travis' contempt for Tom isn't only because he's competing with him for Betsy, but also because Tom represents everything Travis despises, i.e. hippies, liberals, etc.
