Martin Scorsese Thriller Available Free on Pluto TV

The 1970s saw the sudden rise of neo-noir for good reason. Filmmakers like Sydney Pollack and David Lynch brought back classic film noir tropes only to subvert them. They introduced a realistic grittiness that reflected the times. These stories were visually distinct with high-contrast palettes and often featured graphic violence and psychosexual themes while focusing on a complex anti-hero. Films like Chinatown (1974), Blue Velvet (1986), and The Fourth Man (1983) began shaping the genre. They marked a shift towards raw urban realism on film, along with the portrayal of tense socio-political backdrops.

Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) is a groundbreaking entry in film noir. The Mean Streets director succinctly captures the moral rot of 1970s New York City through the eyes of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). Travis is a taxi driver whose deteriorating mental state propels him into violence. This celebrated classic is endlessly rewatchable, and viewers can experience it on Pluto TV, where the film is streaming for free.

What is Taxi Driver about?

Travis, a Vietnam War veteran, spends most of his time as a night-shift taxi driver to cope with his chronic insomnia. When he is not driving through the neon-tinged streets, Travis frequents adult movie theaters and maintains a diary to temper his nihilism. The streets are overrun with crime and corruption, which inspires Travis to dream about becoming a vigilante. Travis shows a troubling sense of alienation when introduced, but his infatuation with campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) and her subsequent rejection of him push him toward ruin.

Taxi Driver does not deny Travis’ painful everyday existence. Audiences are meant to sympathize with the aggrieved blue-collar worker trapped inside a grim cityscape, especially as he constantly seeks an escape that does not exist. Travis’ fixation on Betsy results from this alienation because he views her as someone worth putting on a pedestal. However, these sympathetic sentiments curdle when Travis indulges in racism and misogyny. These flaws are byproducts of a mind that refuses to hold itself accountable. Although vigilantism requires a clear-eyed view of social ills, Travis’ inability to self-reflect feeds into his grandiose delusions about moral responsibility.

Scorsese uses disorienting shots to heighten Travis’ paranoia and isolation. Travis drives only at night, and his days are hazy due to sleep deprivation, causing his mind to latch onto the seediest underbellies of the city. He has several accidental encounters with Iris (Jodie Foster), a child who suffers severe abuse and exploitation before being sold into prostitution. Travis feels he has no choice but to intervene. This savior complex is severely misguided, eventually leading to extreme violence and a deeply satirical conclusion.

Taxi Driver explores the abject isolation of urban living

This is not the first time Scorsese has explored the lurid sleaziness of nocturnal adventures within an urban setting. His After Hours follows a mild-mannered clerk named Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) who gets trapped in a Kafkaesque nightmare while attempting to return home one night. Although After Hours is a surreal black comedy that is lighthearted in nature, it also captures a similar sense of paranoia where Paul feels the world is out to get him. In Travis’ case, trauma informs his twisted view of the world. With no support systems in place, he lashes out violently.

Taxi Driver taps into the cruel indifference of a city that never sleeps. Children like Iris populate the streets, serving as living reminders of a justice system failing to protect the vulnerable. Bickle attempts to make fleeting conversations with passers-by, but a gaping divide remains between how he comes off and who he is.

The only sincere connection Travis yearns for is with Betsy. When that bond snaps after a date goes horribly wrong, the taxi driver unleashes his pent-up wrath on society. In hindsight, these are clear markers of an incel whose distorted view of women and the world stems from a complex web of socio-personal factors.

Taxi Driver brings the most compelling aspects of neo-noir to the fore. It is a breathtaking nightmare woven by a master auteur who understands the subtlety required to present his leading man as a tortured and morally dubious individual. Few films feature such a dense character study inside a puzzle-like narrative that feels more riveting with every watch. Viewers can watch this neo-noir masterpiece for free.

Taxi Driver is streaming on Pluto TV.

Source: Polygon