Taxi Driver Movie Ending... Explained

Movie endings, they're usually pretty straight forward right? Everything pays off, the main characters learn something, and our heroes ride off into the sunset. Sometimes though, we don't get the typical ending from a movie, we get something much more nuanced, complex and open ended. The kind of endings that leave things up in the air for all of us to debate and theorize on until we're blue in the face. With Movie Endings Explained, we aim to delve into some of the more ambiguous and mysterious endings to films that have left audiences scratching their heads for years, and to attempt to explain them. In most cases, a definitive answer isn't really there, so we definitely want to hear from YOU on how you interpret the various endings we'll be discussing with this series.
This time we're casting our minds back to the 1970s, a revolutionary period of American cinema, and a towering pillar of that movement was undoubtedly TAXI DRIVER. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro's storied, decades-spanning collaboration was still in its early stages, and in this Paul Schrader penned film, we follow the disturbing life of Travis Bickle. A disillusioned veteran who takes up work as a taxi driver in New York City, Travis is on a collision course with a violent outburst that builds with dread throughout the entire film. The last moments of TAXI DRIVER have often been debated, the legitimacy of its final beats in particular falling into question. So let's dig in to what the film presents for Travis Bickle by the close of the story, and what the makers of the movie think of his bizarre ending...
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#MartinScorsese #TaxiDriver #RobertDeNiro

[@brendanward2991]

I initially thought the dream-sequence theory must be the correct one, but now that I have heard Schrader and Scorsese's idea of the vicious circle of Bickle's life starting over again, I have to admit that that raises the movie to a whole new level.

[@zootsoot2006]

Everything in a movie is a dream when it really comes down to it. If we take the movie to be about the alienated ego, the taxi itself representing how we're always one step removed from the world around us, the windscreen between ourselves and the outside world, and the only time we have direct interaction with people is via commerce, i.e. the fare. From that comes the violence of society, most especially war. And war is the one opportunity the dispossessed, cut off, rage-filled alienated ego can actually assert itself to its fullest extent and be totally accepted by others, even lionised and beloved. So the murder spree depicts war and the final sequence the respect paid to soldiers when they come home having committed heinous acts of violence, which most of the time would be royally condemned and punished.

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

The legendary “You talkin to me?”

[@mightyraccoon7155]

Hi again

[@jamesmata2945]

Loved that seen. Had me laughing.

[@MajorVonToaster]

Damn...you are everywhere, wew!

[@justsomeguywithastache7558]

Hi brother

[@Hunteldork]

@@jamesmata2945 scene

[@jonathanhernandez3292]

I don't view him as a psychopath likely had PTSD, extreme anxiety, depression, some form of personality and anti social disorder. He was falling apart throughout the film and had no one to turn to - it's more about mental health and a nihilistic portrayal of old seedy NY in the 70s

[@ransakreject5221]

Clearly he doesn’t lack empathy

[@CC-ff7ft]

Exactly, great comment. 👍

[@hugeweenfr]

i see it as ptsd or schizotypical personality disorder :3

[@apkhbmbgamlkbh1531]

@@hugeweenfr ptsd is so quirky owo

[@dondjamel6275]

He didn't have support or has been loved , like he was invisible he just wanted to be a human being not a mock in society

[@Invidente7]

It's not that hard to understand. Sooner or later travis bickle will snap again and THIS time he won't be seen as a hero.

[@markant9534]

Yes the guy was a joker.

[@Jb15573]

he’s dead tho

[@nathanslay6342]

Invidente7 how do we know he survived?

[@ak-vk3gd]

he lived and came back 50 years later as arthur

[@isaacnavv]

ak 47 that doesn’t make sense, joker takes place in the 70s as well

[@skulkjanicke434]

While there might be debate about what truly went down in the final moments of the film, I think we can all agree that the soundtrack was wonderfully done.

[@NateSassoonMusic]

bruh imagine how different the movie would've gone if the dude took her to a normal movie theater for the date but also regarding the ending, how fast did his hair grow back?

[@judassb9190]

The letter did say he was in a coma, so who knows how long that was. Maybe his hair could have grown back in that time

[@cov9290]

Addie B maybe he was arrested and the end of the movies 1 or 2 years later

[@BondanPSakti]

Actually he dies from his wounds after the police arrive. So, the ending is just his imagination. The point is, the taxi driver (Travis Buckle) have a mental condition called "schizotypal personality disorder".

[@ns3004]

@@BondanPSakti But at the end he is shown having a recovery scar on his neck. Will it not mean that it was in real? Otherwise in his imagination he could not have scar on neck

[@christianjoseph6502]

When I watched it I assumed that he was still in a coma and the ending was imagined

[@brandon_white2422]

Yeah Betsy just accepting him again made zero sense so like I felt like he died

[@iibebomberr]

Like he said she was just like the rest of them . Once she saw Travis name in the paper she decided to give him another chance

[@user-uw5ng5yt6r]

It shows in general how vapid many women are where as before she thought he was a creep. Once he gains a bit of notoriety suddenly he becomes appealing to her despite have the same negative and nihilistic traits.

[@sskspartan]

I don't understand why people interpret it like they both accepted eachother.It seems to me both, including Travis, just have a new respect for eachother and are sad for how things turn out but it's better to not pursue a relationship.Kinda like the end of La la land

[@jbautista2927]

@@user-uw5ng5yt6rto be fair the man took her to a freaking porn movie for the first date.. not to mention the fact he stalked his way in to even meet her. Not saying she’s perfect but her considering a second chance was reasonable.

[@TheresNoFreeUsername]

@@jbautista2927 You would be surprised, but a lot of women have this kind of twisted emotional urge to get close to unpredictable and dangerous men. I think the movie tried to portray Betsy as a seemingly immaculate woman who is curious in a twisted way.

[@sinbaon2154]

I need The Deerhunter being a prequel to Taxi Driver. Those two movies have pulled back such a veil for me to the point where, De Niro is a living legend!

[@corneliuscactus30]

After being shot like that and killing several people it's hard not to believe those last scenes weren't a dream.

[@TheresNoFreeUsername]

Well, it was a grazing shot to the neck and one in the shoulder. If you don't hit the arteries then those wounds are not fatal. The street scene shows two medics breaking through the crowd that implies that help arrived in the end. I think the blood dripping from his finger gives the impression that he's dying, but that's not necessarily his blood.

[@capt.hunter9788]

40 Years, its been 40 YEARS and this movie is still a monster

[@thisworldiswonka]

48 years now

[@hypnocilicdreams]

Travis was like 26 or 27 years old in the movie. I think he made it to 30, then relaxed & calmed down a bit. lol.

[@salehrokayak5257]

Doubt it, it took him like a couple months of being a Taxi Driver to blow up

[@charlottesmoviephile8924]

Lol no

[@junkiejackflash]

Possibly, and then at 31 he snaps again and murders another group of people

[@Vincenzo-ks3zl]

No he got Betsy and they lived happy ever after

[@chriswarner1982]

He acted like he saw someone in his rearview mirror was following Betsy into her apartment? Someone in the shadows? Interesting...?

[@viiofwands3076]

This is gonna be an off the wall interpretation of mine but I feel like it was meant to be a bittersweet ending with Travis becoming a new person despite continuing his same lifestyle. Looking from the outside in, he was able to see society for what it is and didn't know how to find his place in it. Even though his initial reason for rescuing Iris might've been a selfish one, Travis didn't get the outcome he was looking for. He got recognition from the public and Betsy but the actual reward was him truly waking up to the world he lives in with a new mindset and I think that shows in the last interaction with her. Basically, Travis accepts society for what it is and his place in it.

[@9HunnaWunna]

Of course anything after the end of a film is up to interpretation but after driving off from betsy he immediately switches to this unhinged look, jittery and eyes bouncing from the road to the front mirror. He never got any real help for the clear mental issues i mean he was even suicidal his idea the streets need rid from the scum of people couldn’t have changed after surviving its likely hes on a new path of destruction

[@TheRussianLondoner]

It's a good movie and the ending has multiple meanings no matter what the director or the cast will state - perception is an individual submerging

[@AndreasZinonos]

Though I'd usually agree, if the director intended the ending to have a specific meaning then that's the meaning the audience should accept, it's not up to interpretation in my opinion.

[@tangerinesarebetterthanora-v8k]

@@AndreasZinonos I feel like most directors would disagree with this to be honest.

[@chuffy-t3272]

So true. My interpretation is way off the charts with this conclusion video.

[@chuffy-t3272]

@@AndreasZinonos I believe you should believe what the art says to you and what the author is trying to tell you so that you have multiple interpretations instead of one single point of view. Music is like this. Every song has a specific purpose the author try's to convey but sometimes a song means more to you by interpreting it in your own way.

[@Brandonhayhew]

Perception can be tricked

[@pdzombie1906]

Great analysis, Luke. I think, as Zizek suggested, the entire film is a suicide fantasy, and as Schrader said it, Travis was headed in a selfdestructive pattern... because he hated society but also himself, for what he did in Vietnam and his real feeling towards Iris. Since society hasn't changed by the end of the film, Travis will eventualy find a way to express his alienation and desperation in a violent way if he doesn't find real love... Thanx!!!

[@MegaBaddog]

zizek was talking rubbish

[@Brandonhayhew]

Travis is a man who seriously needs therapy

[@Andre-by4su]

I read this whole comment in Zizek`s voice

[@zalgocykel]

Scorcesse says the ending is real. And when he looks at the mirror the cycle is just starting over again, he's a time bomb.

[@GLM-vg9ry]

i think your theory is incredibly interesting. when dying, there is a saying that we have 4 minutes of conscience where our brain soothes us. i don't know the full science behind it; but i think that is what is portrayed at the ending, because the sequence is about 4 minuets. which for the dying brain feels longer, like life flashing before our eyes sort of thing. if you have any questions or comments on my theory, plz correct me if i have some info wrong :) - loved the movie (edit): this theory was just for fun, i don't think this is accurate, yet a great movie can have many endings and is up for interpretation

[@ck2721]

Conciseness and sensory awareness go after ~10 seconds but there have been studies on humans and other mammals showing neurons firing for almost 10 minutes post mortem. An average of 6-7 minutes is what you’d probably experience which to you could feel like a thousand years or a split second. (Although if the brain is damaged during death than you’d be lucky to have a few seconds of brain activity at all) I also enjoyed the movie. The atmosphere seamlessly jumped between tense and mellow (I think the soundtrack helped a lot) and the audio of people talking in the background and the sounds of the city, you could practically taste the air during some of the scenes.

[@elliotcrain2383]

I think great movies are the ones that get people talking...The endings aren’t so vague that you can draw any conclusion but somehow develop a situation for the audience to talk about the reflection of the society we live in that they see in the screen in front of them. To put simply; this movie is fucking brilliant

[@SpeedosAndTheGun]

I like the idea of the ending not being a reality but I also think the writers idea of the ending being able to be the beginning good aswell

[@McFartsnatcher]

This movie was made a year before I was born... I finally watched it yesterday... what a great movie. Like so many others, I am still torn about the ending - is it real or just the last moments of his life; his mind creating the ending he wants to believe while dying on the couch. I did read that the director only said that the ending was true because there was a plan for a second movie. Who knows?

[@josephshipman6587]

The coma-dream theory seems plausible since the ending seems to be in such a stark contrast from the rest of the movie in the way he interacts with other people even, but the dream ending is such a cop out for film makers and I don’t believe Scorsese would do that. I believe the ending is about how this is an insane man who ends up killing the right people rather than Palantine.

[@popcornfps]

It's simple. He snaps again and gets away with it again. This is how life works sometimes.

[@mbryson2899]

I believe both are equally true. The dream sequence might have been unintentional but it certainly holds water. Two films for the price of one.

[@waltwilliams7063]

no one mentions the audio feedback as he double-takes the rearview.

[@elizabethinsuasti6853]

IKR! Like was that intentional or not?

[@waltwilliams7063]

@@elizabethinsuasti6853 w/bernard herrmann? of course!

[@danielfranceschini1]

Taxi Driver 2 - uber must die Coming this summer

[@goombino_Tv]

Starts the movie in a psych ward

[@Revelator999]

Honestly, this entire movie was all about a broken and traumatized Vietnam War vet who never psychologically recovered from that war. He isolates himself and feels insecure, he wants to be something worth while instead of a forgotten taxi driver. He saw Palatine and the Pimps as men of masculine status that he did not have, thus he envied them. He saw Betsy and Iris as status symbols, one was an angel to him whereas one was a lost soul whom he felt needed to be saved. Thus, he tries assassinating Palatine, but then he goes to kill the pimps and saves Iris, feeling the need to be a hero. He reminds me of Rorschach from the movie "Watchmen", an anti-hero in the purest form, albeit slightly less insane than Rorschach.

[@nicholasdefranzo6962]

This, he also likely saw many young Vietnamese girls raped by US forces and he felt the need to save her. I think he only wanted to kill palatine so he would be remembered.

[@Revelator999]

@Cody Hall Envy

[@sskspartan]

​@@Revelator999 interestingly, Travis Bickle is CANON in the Watchmen universe, look it up 😁

[@jhyland87]

Man.... Cybill Shepherd was fucking gorgeous.

[@Mark..P]

I have not seen this film for 20 plus years but this has made me want to watch it afresh. Great explanation 👍

[@zovalentine7305]

Me too⚘

[@xencois]

Wow that's a long time, I watch Taxi Driver at least once yearly

[@dlakodlak]

I saw this film first time about a month ago. Then I proceeded to read other people's opinions and I discovered that a big chunk of them genuinely believed that the movie had a legit happy ending. And they still liked the movie. Just wow.

[@30atwill91]

What I learned from it is… you can’t clean up the filth, and even when you try, they’ll just view you as a filthy deranged soul

[@rickiex]

"good movies leaves themselves up for interpretation" yup, like blade runner

[@DevilDogMuNky]

Those type are my favorites. The Thing(1982) and Blade Runner.

[@markant9534]

Yes and the Shining.

[@cold485]

It doesn't make them good movies. Just they bring good debates. But eh. What do I know. I enjoy the rematch more than the first watch with these type of movie, or say the breakdowns more than I Enjoy the movies.

[@tintin6158]

This movie has something in it which make us watch again sometime

[@ptauagpt]

Ego can be a very strong thing. The final scene where he basically scourns Betsy ....getting back at her for her brush off of him. Most guys ( ego or no ego ) would have jumped at the opportunity of getting together with Betsy.

[@fernicusmaximus9282]

I final scene does feel very dreamlike or unreal.

[@archimedesrl2436]

If Scorsese's vision was that the double take in the rear view mirror represented the ticking time bomb starting again, why was betsy in the car at all?

[@sakuragi1062]

Because she wants to get home and needs taxi

[@jasonjenkins7825]

Everybody misses the look back in the mirror and the reverse tone sting. It's so weird and blatant but somehow goes unnoticed. You can watch a dozen reactions to the film and nobody seems to see it.

[@gatordude4224]

I like how you skip over that iris is 12 years old

[@rr7firefly]

A miraculous recovery. That jerky double take at the end as Travis drives away into the night always makes me wonder what actually is happening.

[@angusorvid8840]

I always read it literally. I also think a sequel was a very iffy proposition. It was clear at the end that Travis was going to go bonkers again, that the city was starting to get to him once he got back behind that wheel.

[@thethrowawaythatstayed7055]

I see the note from Iris’ father as quite ominous. Kids don’t run away for no reason. What was she running from that she saw sex work was a better option?

[@cold485]

Me too. But my second thoughts then come to maybe they didn't allow her to be with that older guy, who eventually became her boyfriend and pimped her eventually. Idk

[@rexrocker1268]

So long since I watched this movie, I thought he died at the end. Like he just destroyed everybody, but he died doing it. It’s pretty hard-core. He was sick and tired of it.

[@atw196]

Near the end when he is talking with the other taxi drivers just before he picks up Betsy...he actually has a little scar on the side of his neck (where the bullet scratched him) so i think the ending is true

[@shadowwolf7622]

If you watch close, you will notice his small auto and 38 snub change into different models a couple times during the movie.

[@josephliptak]

I think I saw a .357magnum Dan Wesson too

[@SavagesInMyTown]

the modern world needs more travis bickles

[@biohead66]

When he's getting dressed before the shootout, we can see he has big scars on his back. Those could be from his military service or from a previous similar shootdown that occured. The estranged relationship with his parentsis noteworthy.Also Idk if he ever was in the military as we can see that he is lying to his parents about being in the secret service and that is the reason why he never gave them his true contact details .

[@mongogojjo5944]

Yeah but if you read the newspapers on the wall towards the ending, they do indeed state that travis is an ex veteran. Also like you said he has that giant scar on his back, as well as multiple marine jackets and a marine corps t shirt (one that's really badass), I rewatched this film for the 3rd time yesterday and you really do pick up on more and more stuff with each rewatch, I highly recommend pausing it when iris's dad is speaking and read those newspaper headlines that he glued to his wall

[@SirSmoldham]

I only saw this film because I was a Bernard Herrmann fan and knew he died after recording the score. I then fell in love with the work of Martin Scorsese. The ending of this classic haunts me to this day as supremely unsettling, especially considering certain events of the present day.

[@featurebroadcast297]

I acquainted the ending to be like "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"...wishful thinking in dying moments.

[@gregsmith451]

I think the look on his face when adjusting the mirror indicated that another downward spiral within him was commencing, maybe sparked because he felt his handling of Betsy at that moment wasn't as satisfying as he had hoped.

[@gaurav2979]

he was looking the mirror to see if betsy was watching him while he drove off .... Simple.

[@SuperTreemendus]

Iris was the only eyewitness that didn’t die. Maybe she defended Travis saying it was self defence. The newspaper clips said that he was a hero?🤔

[@aleksandarmitrovic6983]

Easily one of the greatest movies ever made!

[@bacht4799]

Alex DyD and now some people hate it of .. you guessed it.. Joker .. sigh .. it’s very difficult today too just enjoy things without being politically..

[@buckjohnson3748]

@@bacht4799 joker and taxi driver are political in nature.

[@bacht4799]

Buck Johnson true but it’s was political in shape of the story.. the main story was theirs loneliness and anxiety of a city there doesn’t want them and how they fight back against it .. the political stuff was a part of that but not the main selling point.. I think 🤔

[@buckjohnson3748]

@@bacht4799 it was a social commentary on our society. That's the pinnacle of political movies.

[@bigxchubstv6056]

Worst movie I’ve ever watched

[@warberg80]

Very insightful and interesting analysis 🙂

[@damienluxford7482]

Very interesting analysis. I've always been haunted by this movie.

[@Twinflame_4]

He’s a hero in my book

[@rizwaankhan2028]

The way I saw it was that all that happens in the movie from that point where he is seen following Betsy was only his imagination. If Scorsese pushes that the ending was literal and not fantasy, then it kinda proves the rest of the movie, other than the ending was. He imagined all this as he wanted to be bigger than everyone else. In that final scene where he dropped Betsy and then moved on, he jumped and looked back in the mirror, was probably the moment when he noticed that the girl he imagined is real, and that was probably why he refused to charge her even subconsciously. What made Betsy call him by his first name? Well, the tell is there in the movie already where the Senator saw his name written down with the meter.

[@cold485]

Dope interpretation. Maybe he self explained or imagine the reason to how he got the scar too. Interesting interpretation

[@NaturalMeAmerica]

They were so many like him in real life during the 70's. Well actually with exveption of being a vietnam war vet,which I realize would change alot of his situation

[@israelbuzzofftothemoon]

The weird thing is the newspaper snippet with his picture is the exact same picture from hic taxi. The one palatine looks at when he wants to address him to his name in the taxi.

[@edbears5725]

That's not weird at all, that would be an easily accessible picture the newspaper could get, to run with the story. That is common practice.

[@R3TR0--93]

plot twist, the scne with him dropping off Betsy is a day before he died, which was the last time they were together

[@cold485]

He had a scar on his neck

[@thecarpentershow8507]

I think I'm in love with the 70's. Peace. Love. Unity. Respect.

[@djsrone]

lol what? it looked like a shithole.

[@thecarpentershow8507]

@@djsrone compared to what ? disease infested 2020?

[@thomasm6733]

Did you even watch this film 💀

[@UrielSepsis]

I think you might have "accidentally" commented under the wrong 70' movie... this one is more about Anxiety. Repulsion. Seclusion. Murder. ...but yeah, sure, the 70' also had their good side - oh wait, that was the actually the 60' and the 70' were all about cannibalizing what was great about the 60' ...whoopsy.

[@rext8949]

If it's based in America then you can be a hero one day and a villain the other and vice versa depending upon the political and social climate . The Travis Bickles are a reflection of the failure of society and there are many of them in different stages of evolution. Best to leave the film in the limbo it is in and make your own interpretation. Scorsesse surely doesn't need to be validated.

[@PageandPlant4Life]

They made a sequel but it was called Joker. Even had a cameo by DeNiro

[@tommyragetv4082]

Jus a reference film from taxi not a sequel joker is it’s own film

[@PageandPlant4Life]

@@tommyragetv4082 issa joke

[@interdimensionalsteve8172]

Joker was a boring and contrived slog. Taxi Driver is a masterpiece.

[@GoryWory]

Travis is not sick, he is just disconnected, lonely guy with basic idea of morality and purpose seeking mentality

[@raycayabyab6836]

What’s the background music you used for this video?

[@AwayGoalRule]

Iris tells Travis she’s from upstate. Letter from parents say they are in Pittsburgh. Maybe Iris lying. Maybe parents moved. But could be clue that - bc he got that fact wrong - end sequence is Travis’ imagination.

[@ericray185]

Betsy was from upstate.

[@AndreFernandesMovies]

First time I watched this, when he looks at the mirror in the end with that sound effect, it immediatly made me think that there was someone else in the back of the taxi trying to shoot him. I know this doesn't make much sense though but that is what I thought when it first happened.

[@deathbymazda]

I just watched the movie for the first time and I figured the ending was his final thoughts.

[@RockorSomething83]

You deserve *a lot* more views and subscribers.

[@chachorolas923]

Travis Bickle, the original INCEL

[@neuro1073]

I literally said that in the middle of the movie. This masterpiece was truly ahead of its time!

[@ryderwilson7955]

I'd say more like a doomer, he gave up on society and society gave up on him, he couldn't live by it's rules

[@lightyagami5972]

Ur dumb

[@KirkeBenusi]

Travis Bickle, the Joker?

[@anujmayapuri2036]

It's not a dream sequence because if you look closely you can see a scar on his neck when he is talking to his cabbie friends after the shootout.

[@Paulo_Maldini_03]

Yes there is , which is why I thought it was real

[@WorldOfWarcraftLore]

There is no need to overthink. I just watched the movie for the first time ever yesterday. Instanlty recognized deniro.... Was dumbfounded with the young looks of him. As a stoic and a free time phylospoher, the only thing that struck me was the following quote, "If you crush a cockroach, you're a hero. If you crush a beautiful butterfly, you're a villain. Morals have aesthetic" said by Friedrich Nietzche. Just think about it :)

[@geneobrien8907]

I always thought that the ending was not a dream but that the violence had purged Travis' demons. His post orgasm like calmness might not last for long but what we saw was him in a grace period.

[@HH-yx6hz]

What amazes the world the quality of the movie is still fresh.

[@gonootropics2.065]

To me he fulfilled some type of purpose in the end saving Iris, where before he was so hinged on things working out with Betsy. The final scene he looks content and doesn't care much about her at all. Its not a stretch to think he would be hailed as a hero for what he did, nobody knew the real Travis

[@Asualtedpeanut]

Excellent video tyvm

[@Lleesstreett]

the way he was shot tells me he fucking died

[@freebee8221]

I guess the ending means that the world is just as crazy as travis

[@cold485]

He is an awkward guy who gets rejected for it (or for other things) and once the world rejects him he rejects it back. He hates Betsy after the rejection/betrayal,. he probably also feels betrayed by the world (maybe cos he is a war vet? And may feel untaken care of?) Or more likely because he is socially awkward and wishes to preemptively reject the world before it rejects him, but secretly he still wants approval. Same with Betsy, he wants to reject her back but he still wants to be with her as shown by his dream letter he wanted to send to his parents (also shows his desire to be a hero as he wishes to be an agent. Maybe he got rejected for this job to hence wants to get revenge on the politician later- interestingly the politician thinks he is weird to adter their interaction in the taxi) When rejecting the world he focuses on its negative espects only looking at the bad parts of town as his reference. The world that probably rejected him for being awkward. Same thing happens with Betsy after she finds he is awkward when he takes her to the movie. For now he deals with his rejection by saying bad things about his rejectors, the world and now Betsy. Later he meets a man who is going to kill his girl and he get the idea of dealing with his rejection with violence. He suffers from morbid self-attention when he is alone, which is most of the time, probably thinking about his bad traits, wishing on death and further intensifying his rejection. He initially got the taxi job to stay away from this, but just like any drug, it's not working anymore, the taxi just exposes him more to what he hates, the world, the easy opportunity to stalk betsy even after the rejection making the taxi an enabler and also the break that was the taxi is broken by the 12 year old Prostitute when she asks him for help and the taxi loses its value. He need a new way to deal with rejection maybe. Herein comes the man who wants to kill his cheating wife. I find it funny how this man is probably the onw to spend most of the time out of any passager in Travis' taxi, almost as thoigh he was a lingering thought that wouldn't go a constant temptation to replace the taxi. The option to not find an escape, but to kill, to be the man that "stood up and did something about it", this is attractive to travis and now it's worse because he is getting murderous thoughts in his head and when he reveals this to a friend its unproductive. Instead of using the taxi to escape his thought and keep himself busy, he uses the taxi as a way to pursue his new way of dealing with the rejection or pain, he stalks Betsy, he drives it to the assassination attempt of the politician and the climax is when he drives past a pedestrian who was trying to stop the taxi as he was on his way to kill the pimp. Travis wishes to get back at the world, but he still wants approval from his rejectors, that being the world itself and Betsy (maybe to some extent the idea of being a hero, as seen with him being a marine or trying to be a secret agent as well as helping the guy out when he was getting robbed), so getting back at the bad parts of the world and being the rain that cleans the filth helps in him getting back at the world, looking like a hero as well as getting Betsy's approval hence the dream at the end.

[@johnstutzman5520]

As a Vietnam era veteran and a guy who spent the greater part of the 70’s driving a hack in NYC, I approve this message.

[@indicatoker420]

What I find odd is that the pictures of Travis the hero in the newspaper articles aren't even really him.

[@TalkinBenny]

The films about a man who suffers extreme loneliness and isolation / Schizophrenia on top of the PTSD he endured from the Vietnam war , it shows many hints in the movie that he does not have any family or people who care about him (His diet of quarter pounders and red coca colas, His apartment , the same clothes almost everyday , the way he's unable to grasp on to any form of normality including watching normal movies , his withdrawal from society & Disassociation from normal life and coping mechanism like thinking pattern)

[@anttenna2009]

Yes true he’s still broken. But it’s because of issues with unable to come to grips with himself and being able to obtain what he wants even when it is being offered to him, which is Bettsy . The issues with self and in ability to meet needs of the self is represented in that scene with the shots of his eyes in the mirror and the shot of him driving away from who he wants

[@bencxm]

Great video

[@kingkrimzon3889]

This is probably the only time that I would tell the creator of the movie himself that he doesn't know what he's talking about 😂

[@cold485]

Bruh😂 like wtf is he even saying

[@johntuffnell794]

At 9:31 they quickly pan across a movie theater marquee of CHARLES BRONSON which to me is a nod to similar themes and vigilantism in Death Wish (from 1974).

[@heavyearly9924]

Over 40yrs later and still not sure of the ending.. just like the Sopranos in 40yrs..

[@tricksterhighlights8015]

Deniro: Soo taxi driver 2? Paul Schrader: no

[@sweetdangerzack]

I always interpreted the ending literally and with a commentary about class. Travis' two targets are a politician and a pimp. As an outsider, and therefore, someone not bound by the average person's social awareness, in Travis' mind, both of these men are equally worthy of punishment. Palantine is never explicitly shown to be corrupt in the film, but given the ubiquity of corruption among politicians, its possible that he was, and that Travis saw the two men as moral equals because they WERE moral equals, the major difference being class. You threaten one and you wind up an enemy of the state, you murder the other and you become a celebrated hero. Travis finding himself on the "right" side of that being only a consequence of chance coupled with the fickle preferences of a society perhaps every bit as sick as he himself. Like I said before though, Palantine is never explicitly shown to be corrupt, so it could just as well be that Travis' broken mind is simply targeting anyone he interprets as oppressing these women that he interprets himself as some protector of.

[@bobross1829]

People thinking it was a "dream" are projecting their own wants into the movie, as they do not want to "reward" a clearly psychotic man, especially viewing it now way after the 1970's. But the ending to me is why this movie is often considered one of the best ever, as it captured the times and how people saw NYC back then. The city was a mess with crime everywhere so it was very darkly foreseeable people would see Travis as a "Hero". And before social media and the internet it is more than plausible the authorities would never put two and two together with him being at the Senator's rally earlier. The ending was perfect as it was darkly ironic and commented on the times and the real problems in inner cities back then. I also put no weight into Jodie Foster's character not wanting to go home as she was being exploited by a very bad pimp and was too young to really understand how awful that life was. And Betsy? Well, being lauded as a hero who faced death and saved a young girl would give her pause to think maybe she misjudged him slightly. Again, especially in the 1970's and in NYC. It also is a comment on how a public narrative of being a hero can even overcome his creepy behavior that she had first hand knowledge of. (In reality would it? Probably not. But in the movie's logic and the point it was making? Yes) I also liked the power switch between them as he is now over her and nonchalant (the killings got her rejection of him out of his system)

[@theotendleeey]

Agree wholeheartedly with this interpretation!

[@Robinhudloom]

1:42 black Luffy spotted

[@mathieuduval7544]

I know this sounds "stupid" but i dont care what the director or writer are saying about the end, i have my own ideas/ theory and im sticking to it....just like im doing with the Joker!

[@aarohanyt7374]

Mathieu Duval i am interested in your thoughts about the joker

[@mathieuduval7544]

@@aarohanyt7374 I believe that the Joker movie takes place in a more "modern" time, the same time line as Matt Reeves The Batman. What we are watching is a form of traumatic past memories, the entire movie takes place in Arthur's head while he's in Arkham asylum. I won't go into details cause it would take me a long time to write, but the last scene tells it all, why suddenly Arkham asylum is so clean and new and why he's talking to a female doctor with no supervision.....it's because he didn't commit those horrible crimes wait, he was creating his Joker persona in his head....and now he's out, so let the fun begin!!!!

[@aarohanyt7374]

Mathieu Duval that’s a nice theory but I like the theory of Batman and joker being brother better , though it is contradicting The comics the rivalry between joker and Batman would become so much more meaningful and intriguing

[@liquidphilosopher1816]

@@aarohanyt7374 lol batman and joker are not brothers. joker's mother was crazy and lied to him that she fucked thomas wayne.

[@aarohanyt7374]

@@liquidphilosopher1816 i said thats mot what is in comics but they could change the origin story in the movies ; they can confirm them to be brothers if they want to

[@unchainedwiththecapt]

Lots of great insight here. Well done!

[@JerrySmith-ih9rd]

One of the best film scores ever.

[@alexisraida]

beautiful explanation

[@Johnny_Ultimate]

I see Travis Bickle as having multiple personalities or schizophrenia. We see his two sides throughout the movie. The first "flip" is the scene in the hallway where Bickle is on the phone and the camera pans away from him and then back again. Then at the end, in the cab with Betsy, my feeling is that she had become turned on by Travis and was now attracted to him after hearing about what he did. In his own mind, Travis "saves" Betsy by driving away before she can suggest another date or for him to come up to her apartment. Betsy becoming attracted to the horror and the violence of what Travis Bickle did would have been precisely the kind of thing that he had come to hate about people and the city he lived in. He didn't let her "lower" herself to that level. As Travis Bickle drives away he "flips" again and when you're watching the movie you see all the scenery instantly change from being neutral, calm and orderly back to being chaotic and dark and lit up by the lights of the city night again. That literally happens at the exact moment Travis has that strange moment in the rear view mirror. He's two different people. That's my view.

[@354Entertainment]

I love the voice-over comments form DeNiro!

[@kroneyt1493]

He hates NYC because of the crime. So he shoots a bunch of people and becomes a hero in NYC. Wow, I actually don't know what to say about that.

[@alexpaterson1382]

When the secret serivce agent was taking down travis's infor for the ''application'' did travis know it was a trap?

[@Energyflash1979]

Post Vietnam war USA would've been a turbulent place with such division about the war amongst the public. Many soldiers having to live with PTSD without ever being diagnosed could easily create a Travis Bickle given the right circumstances.

[@buryitdeep]

5:19 Why was the picture of Travis in the newspaper clip on the wall not Travis? I thought this gave more weight to a dream sequence ending since the man in the photo is handsome.

[@gohawkeyes529]

What’s the track playing in the background?

[@GuadalupePicasso]

Am I the only one who doesn’t see Travis’s character as being as blatantly racist as so many critics say?

[@XDarkBrotherhoodHD]

No I never seen it that way, it was about violence not race

[@GuadalupePicasso]

Nik Terin the only blatant racist in the movie is the minor character played by Scorsese.

[@Stryker218]

He was never racist in the movie, not once.

[@smehskeh]

I just got done watching it for the first time and the entire movie, I thought he was going to eventually say or do something racist. They constantly hint at Travis not liking black people. Like the look he gives his black coworker when the coworker speaks to him, or when he kept pointing his gun at the black people on his TV. It was definitely there and I was surprised to see this side of him not boil over somehow. Hearing that the shooting scene was supposed to involve all black people does not shock me in the slightest.