Video essay here: https://youtu.be/a6NylCTFrp4

Director Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic, “Taxi Driver”, is a frightening, harrowing, and intimate descent into madness in the form of a first person character study. The subject and protagonist is a 26-year-old Vietnam war veteran, Travis Bickle, who is driven to insanity by intense feelings of isolation, melancholy, and sorrow.

Critics and film historians consistently rank Taxi Driver as one of the greatest films of all-time, usually noting Robert De Niro’s performance as a riveting portrayal of suffering from mental illness. But what exactly makes the Travis Bickle such a compelling character? His moral ambiguity. Because of the unique circumstances surrounding Bickle, we as an audience are able to view his actions through the lens of various ethical standpoints.

In other words, He is the PERFECT antihero. Is his violent behavior justified? Is evil defensible if it is the result of good intentions, …..and is there any way to know for sure if those intentions are good? Should we as a society make legal exceptions for those who are mentally ill? These are the questions we extract from the film. And because these questions can spark debates on ethics that can go on forever, this one of the many reasons why Bickle is such a gripping character.

This will be an ethical analysis of Travis Bickle. My goal is that by the end of this video, you will understand that watching Taxi Driver, and other films in general, can lead to intellectual stimulation. Stimulation while pondering the philosophical themes of the film.

Now in most movies you watch, the protagonist will most likely have several positive character traits established quickly, so we can get behind them as a hero. Not this time. In fact, the only good thing I can note about Bickle in the first half of the film is that he seems to want to be a hard worker when he takes the job as a cab driver. He also states he was honorably discharged from the marines instead of dishonorably discharged, but that’s all we’re told.

After he gets the job a few events unfold that make him out to be a miserable, unkempt, socially awkward mess. Well, I suppose “a few events” is an understatement.

Travis:

Regularly attends seedy porn theaters

He walks into a porn theater and immediately hits on the concessions girl, and then creepily continues when she obviously shows no interest

He drinks and smokes throughout the day

He pops pills throughout the day

Eats nothing but junk food

Uses a racial slur to describe black people

And he seemingly can’t have a positive social interaction with anyone, he’s distant in conversations, unable to relate to those around him

He is constantly bothered by the filth of new york city and the so-called “animals” that inhabit it. The whores, druggies, and fairies.

All this, topped with the fact that his routine is incredibly mundane, combine for the perfect recipe of an unhappy life. Thanks to Martin Scorsese’s brilliant direction, a few shots are utilized to show that Travis is already teetering on the edge of sanity within the first thirty minutes of the film.

After being withdrawn and completely unable to communicate in a social setting, a few shots portray Bickle as nervous and fearful looking. This is in the same scene where Scorsese uses slow motion to indicate Travis’s contempt for the black pimps in the restaurant. Scorsese also uses the slow motion for the same effect in Raging Bull, so I don’t think this is a coincidence. Beyond the racial slur and this shot, there isn’t anything that I find that imply that he’s a racist character. The scene ends with Travis dissolving an effervescent tablet in a glass of water, symbolizing the simmering primal rage inside of him, that will eventually come to a boil.

Scorsese often uses slow motion, and this effect does a great job at indicating contempt. Here it is being used in Raging Bull. He uses it the same way in Taxi Driver.

When we are introduced to the acquaintances of Travis in this restaurant scene, we see him look upon black pimps in slow motion. This is an effect that Scorsese uses to indicate contempt. This effect is also used multiple times later in the film, particularly in the final shootout. Scorsese uses slow motion for the exact same reason in Raging Bull, so I don’t think this is coincidental.

During the same scene at the cafe with the black pimps, Travis is 100% withdrawn, not even responding to those speaking to him. The scene ends with Travis dissolving an effervescent tablet in a glass of water, symbolizing the simmering primal rage inside of him. The rage that will eventually come to a boil.

After being forced into a state of ultimate anguish and despair by the parasites surrounding him, there is only one possible thing that can pull Travis from the brink, and save him from his seemingly inescapable agony.

His savior angel, Betsy. Betsy is the savior archetype in Taxi Driver. She exhibits numerous qualities that prove this point. One thing we are shown is that she is quite passionate about her job to help elect Senator Charles Palantine as President, this demonstrates her being morally upright and her advocacy for justice.

She will be the judge for the fate of Travis’s soul.

One interesting thing is that Travis is the one who pursues Betsy. Doesn’t this say something positive about his moral character? At the near end of his fall to rock bottom, he shows enough determination to save himself, and if he’s successful, he will also save the lives of others. Travis KNOWS this. He acknowledges his reoccurring thoughts are evil, and he tries to repel them.

This positive nuance to Travis is a bit under the surface, and it makes him a complex antihero. This nuance is more clear when we look at the adherents of the savior archetype through a familiar messianic story. One example is in the New Testament of the Bible, where it is obvious in the eyes of the savior, that those who accept him, will be given paradise, and those who deny him, will be given hell.

Bickle’s yearning for stability gives us hope for him as an audience, but unfortunately, Taxi Driver is a tragedy, and his social ineptitude is enough to push him down his dark path. In the words of Wizard, “we’re all fucked”.

But even if we’re doomed, we can still try to do the right thing.

Travis is rejected by Betsy after taking her to see a pornographic film in their second date, and after this nothing is stopping him from violently lashing out against the world. Regardless, before his big plan, in the second half of the film he definitely displays admirable values.

After discovering a 12 year old prostitute named Iris, Bickle decides to become the arbiter of justice when he fails to convince her to leave her wretched lifestyle.

By buying a bunch of guns and killing her pimps, and in turn freeing her to return to her parents in Pittsburgh, what better way is there to kill two birds with one stone?

Travis remains a hero in the eyes of the audience because it’s obviously unethical to prostitute a 12 year old for your own financial gain. This sentiment is also echoed by the public, who celebrate Bickle’s heroism after his assault on Iris’s captors.

However, in the eyes of others, Travis remains a lowlife. Do these people really deserve to be murdered for their crimes? Even Iris was begging Travis to not kill the bleeding mafioso.

I’d like to take a step back. Is Travis really responsible for any of his actions? We learned he was a Vietnam veteran. Could his mental illness be the result of his time served in the military? Could it be the result of a failed upbringing? To some, Travis might seem like the perfect case for the insanity defense. That can definitely be argued.

In the controversial final scene, Travis enters his cab and his angel Betsy suddenly appears in the back seat. She seems to approve of his actions, judging by her concern for his health. Feeling a smug sense of satisfaction, Travis drops her off and drives away, content with her approval of him.

The story of Travis Bickle is the story of all of us. We’re all dropped in the chaos of an uncaring world and regardless of our circumstances, we are compelled to do what we think is the right thing. Taxi Driver is an extreme case, but there are extreme cases constantly walking among us.

Likability is an overrated trait in movie characters. Relatability is much more important. Just like in real life, the morality in Taxi Driver isn’t black and white. This is why we’re so drawn to the film. We see something of ourselves in Travis. By the roll of a die, Travis’s outburst was viewed as a good thing. Maybe next time it won’t be. He’s a ticking time bomb. But aren’t we all?