To be fair, I drove a cab before Uber was a thing and if I reported every illicit act I saw or heard over 12-14 hours I would be at the police station for another 12-14 hours.
I feel like Travis Bickle is the original incel - men like this obviously existed back then or there'd be nothing to draw from, but it's so prevalent in our culture now.
There have always been men like this. It's always a product of extreme trauma. Men want to "fix" certain women because they couldn't fix their mothers or themselves.
I disagree with a lot of what you had to say here, but your analysis of the final sequence is on point. It's way too cheap and easy to discount it as a dream sequence. When you let the movie speak for itself and accept that it's really happening, it opens up the possibility that the film is a social critique of how "We" romanticize violence. Without that end sequence, it's just a critique of Travis' violent acts, but now it's about the violence we all encourage and celebrate.
I think the ending is not that it was a "dream", it's that Travis is obviously still totally disconnected from reality. His paranoia is still there, he still lives in a different state. It's not his dream, it's his nightmare he's still stuck in.
14:50 you say that Travis says sport is the scum of the earth even though he only met him once. You don't need to know much about a pimp (a child pimp) to gain that kind of an opinion on. 16:50 you say that Travis shouldn't be praised by the public. He killed 3 pimps, and no one knows his personality. I'd call him a somewhat hero if all I knew about him was that he killed 3 pedo pimps. 13:10 he doesn't immediately shoot the criminal. He only shot the guy when he turned around to point the gun at Travis 16:30 but Travis does help iris. Your saying the pimps looked after iris? When Travis killed the pimps, the police returned iris to her family who were very thankful to have her back. Other than all that, cool video.
Imma be real with you, point 1 is flimsy. Sure, he killed 3 pedos and many people don't exactly feel like they are worth saving, but where does that exactly end then? Can anybody just walk up to people and shoot them when they committed a crime you deem hard enough to get murdered over? The point isn't about morality neccessarily, it's that travis took action in a selfish way instrad of trying to deal with it in a legal proper way. Only after that failed (which admittedly, it absolutely would have, we are talking about new york in the 70's) would actions by yourself be considered something necessary. Also, as for the last point. Do you really think iris just had a happy family and she all up and left. I feel like there is more behind her leaving then just being stupid.
A lot of men do, especially in today’s society, it’s a sad and at the same time scary. It’s almost like a lot of us just feel unfulfilled at some points in our lives until we REALLY see why we are truly here. Never give up. Another interesting thing, as a reader of Blood Meridian, I too feel like it’s in our genes to be brutal, savage and violent because of our past, it’s almost in our nature at times. How many men do you hear say they were fine one minute, and then blacked out and all they knew was that they weren’t in control anymore and many people around them suffered because of that. I find those things interesting, the human mind, the type of people that want peace and love, are the same that will act cruel and violent to those who don’t agree with some of their message because of our given free will as human beings. There will always be conflict and people will always suffer because of the tribalism that comes from it.
@@onionbubs386 If you began feeling like Travis what steps would you take to try and wake up out of it. Everyone has inner demons, some people fight them back, and others sadly succumb to them. I remember a UA-camr named Etika who was a very good, well mattered young man who always seemed positive and put smile to people’s faces. Then one day things started to change with him and he began acting out of the ordinary and showed many signs of depression, anxiety and started looking very delusional in some of his streams. A lot of people tried to help him when they seen the signs, but others did something worse, made fun out of him and egged him on to act more delusional. Sadly we all know what happened in the end, and it should have never happened. He even tried to go get help, but sadly that so called help didn’t do much for him, and he would even prove and show that it wasn’t helpful to him. A lot of men don’t get the serious help they need and when they don’t, the worst happens, not every man can figure out their own problems on their own, they could use positive influences around them without anyone making fun of them and pushing their already fractured state more into the extreme. There are even stories of men that said that they were saved from doing something bad and stupid just because of one person coming to their aid and talking to them, it’s really true, sometimes just a few good positive words can save a person’s life. I’m the type that never wants to see anything bad happen to anyone, and believe that not all people are bad, but just grew up enduring bad things while living in bad environments. Victims of circumstance. If a person does kill people, hurt them and enjoys doing it over and over, then there is no saving them, they are so far gone.
I love that more and more people are analysing Travis' character This movie and character are as iconic as they come Good video my dude, keep improving
Chief, It could be that we focus so fierce attention to demonizing a character that we fail to see better qualities within them. We may also interpret this film as being destiny's way of both preparing Travis's character for his final redemption, as well as preventing him from following through with those actions which would themselves prevent him from saving Iris. Look at all our greatest heroes: flawed and full of holes. I can say Travis's character is a hero because of what he has done. He saved a little girl from a horrible life and horrible fate. Heroism is not in one's nature, but their acts. We each have Good and Evil within us. It is our actions which define our character. I submit that the actions of Travis's character redeemed in total because he saved Iris. Whatever his perversions, whatever his misgivings and defects, he was celebrated all around for truly heroic actions. We can even see evidence of this in the fact that Betsy re-entered the stage and the manner thereof. Travis's character desired her most of all. Fate has given him another opportunity at it. Who knows, maybe because of Travis's character arc, his decisions will be better, his actions more in service to others than his own desires. Travis's character was a hero, even if only at the end.
@@RexLaRue-jr5whhe saved Iris but traumatised her at the same time, and remember that his first choice was to kill Palantine not pimps. He was ready to Die during Palantine's assasination and if his first plan succeded Iris would never have been rescued. Travis was not a hero, he just wanted to release his inner anger
The shooting in the store.was 100% justified. I spent my entire career in law enforcement and I'm qualified to tell you that in a legal sense you're completely mistaken. "Hasn't hurt anyone yet". Bud you honestly CAN'T be serious, can you? If you're trying to come at this from a moralistic approach or ? But I'm honestly curious about how you arrived at your opinion. Do you honestly feel that it would.have been the more ethical decision to wait and fire upon the subject engaged in a violent armed robbery only AFTER he had shot and possibly killed (read MURDERED) a man simply trying to get through a days work? I look forward to reading your response and again I'm not trying to be any kind of asshole here. I just strongly disagree and am curious about how you arrived at your opinion. I have now finished the video and heard you state you had school work so I it's clear we have a very large difference in age and life experience. That likely has much to do with our difference of opinion.
I imagine that your cognizant of the current news so maybe you saw the report about a man and woman who BOTH were packing and got into an absurd dispute with the manager of a grocery store in Philadelphia. Caught on CCTV the man pulled out his gun and shot the other man in the face! The same shit that infected NYC in the early 70's has recycled.. 💀
@@christopherfritz3840 I watch very little news. What is it you're referring to as come back around from 1970's? I know now that prescription pain meds have gotten so difficult to obtain that heroin is back but that can't be what you mean is it?
@@CheeF_Phetty Idk how people come to have such ridiculous ideologies in this day and age. I feel like it much be being taught in schools. On level of ridiculousness, I find it right up there with the descriptions of the former armed robbery enthusiast. Strange how it seems they're always "turning their life around,about to go back to school, release a hit album, etc.,etc., " When they Fuck up the victim selection process and point that gun at a real shooter, getting something very different than the quick cash they'd demanded.
The letter to his parents tells a lot. He’s claiming to work for the government, almost implying he’s a spy. But this is 1976 and he said at the beginning he was discharged from the military in 1973. Do his parents even know he’s not in the service anymore? After 3 years? That’s odd and casts a dubious cloud over his military record, like maybe he got into something he shouldn’t have in his hometown (his clothes imply he’s from a town in the country, not New York), the judge offered him a choice of military or jail, and after the war, he just never went back home. His case seems murkier than the simple PTSD explanation a lot of folks try to give.
I know the video is kinda old but a lot of missed points in my opinion. The bodyguard did not outsmart Travis. In fact Travis outsmarted him by giving him false information, false name and address. Also you could argue Travis never stood up in the beginning because actually in his mind the the guy's wife (Martin Scorsese) could also be considered scum for cheating.
I was gonna comment this. People who cared about her wouldn't literally human traffic her. They deserved what they got, and it sucks that she had to see it, but it would have been much worse to do nothing
@@lilahdog568 things is that's not true. Even if it's Stockholm syndrom or impact of manipulation, most sex trafficking victims don't want their perputradors too be hurt. Which doesn't mean he didn't deserve it. HOWEVER, doing it in front of iris kind of shows that travis does not really care all that much about IRIS, more that his morals have been broken and he feels wronged that "this scum" has done something he doesn't agree with. He's done something most people call heroic when he was acting out of pure self interest. And as we saw with his plan a, that self interest is not inherently and arguable most of the time Not very good.
@@johnherbert1431 How about, theoretically, just theoretically, shooting into the windows of the apartment and leaving? The police, even if bribed, had to go into the building and look at the situation and the people inside.
This is a great analysis. Taxi Driver is one of those pictures that a lot of people love, but don't truly understand. You mentioned the score, but the camerawork is also very important in this movie; it tells the story in a much more subtle way. Possibly why so many folks miss the actual message. Again, fantastic video!
That was my exact train of thought that led me to be a taxi driver myself. Stayed up late and drove around then was like why not get paid for doing it too
Excellent analysis! Like you, I too found Taxi Driver to be underwhelming post my first watch. However, after rewatching it last night, for the first time in over a decade, I understood the subtleness behind the screenplay which is mirroring Travis' character & ticks to the viewers. In my opinion, Taxi Driver is the best character-driven story I have come across. Truly intriguing.
I disagree. Travis did nothing because he was unarmed as soon as he was armed he took action. And to say that you should only shoot an armed robber once he has killed somebody and the pimps "looked after" her makes no sense. Good points about Travis being out of touch with reality and stalking Betsy. Also how he ignores all his own vices, but criticizes them in other people is a solid point.
I'm sorry, you have to be armed to stand with a woman being harassed? My brother, travis acts all highly but the only time he does anything is when he feels superior, when he things he has nothing too loose or when he thinks he is clearly gonna win.
absolute fear and disdain for abandonment, reckless behaviour, anger, even stalking and hypersexuality, everything you described, even the idealizing of certain people like politicians then discard and resent, these are all symptoms of borderline personality disorder. the gaslighting part is narcissistic but that goes with the territory in cluster B
Boring, why can't y'all armchair psychology majors talk about THE MOVIE as ART instead of hyperanalyzing main character's negative traits whether real or perceived.
Hey hey!!! I just found your channel. Totally randomly, but I'm happy to be here. Good luck, keep up the great work and I can't wait to see what you'll cover next.
It's similar to Dexter. If u scan Travis and the people he shot, they would all have probably similarly cognitively dissonant concepts of the world. They're specific neuroses either cause them to act out in the favor of a net public gain or deficit. Also Cabbies are often insomniacs and insomnia can cause schizophrenia or it's symptoms
this is basically the swansong of all soldiers and prisoners. they all experience the same disillusionment and detachment after joining back into society, they are lucky if they ever get any semblance of normality much less able to reintegrate. Some of them end up commiting violent acts to ensure that they go back into prison, the only home that they know at that point. im sure the movie is about way more than this but this is just a small thing to notice
Dude, I just found your channel and I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes obviously, but make more videos man. You’re already really good at this and this is only video two, so I’m excited to see the rest of your content. But I just wanted to let you know that although views may not be as high as before they’ll get better in time! Hope alls well and thanks for the good watch!
I've seen recently a totally opposite interpretation of this character, as an alienated, noble and pushed into loneliness man, by a society unable to understand his ultimate goal to protect. The channel was one of those that are constantly arguing that modern masculinity is broken by it's core, by an ideological feminist conspiracy censoring it's true nature of a providing alpha. Well... Is because it's a really good movie and character, that you two are able to have these opposite interpretations . My personal opinion is somewhere in the middle, with a man who is trying really hard to do whatever he thinks is a good behaviour, but is struggling with his own egoistic, immature and coward impulses. The real problem here is how to separate the scum from the ones to protect. Who decide under what criteria what is wrong or right. And all this contradictions are a static constant in a world where law o morale are shifting and transforming with every generation.
One of the great beauty's of the time! Maybe of all time. She didn't age as well as say, Sharon Stone, but idk that anyone could hold a candle to Cybil in her prime!
About the store scene. Travis acted well, you don't wait for the guy pointing the gun to shoot first, that's not how self defense or self preservation works, the same if the gun is pointed at a person you want to protect. And he only killed criminals so he in fact did some city cleaning at last. He's a hero by chance but he's the only hero in the entire city.
Only someone like you could compare Travis to the Joker... Perhaps this is because someone like you is unable to experience personal tragedy and the turmoil over the moral breakdown and degradation of society, which is leading humanity towards apocalyptic times.
Tbh around 10:05 I'd probably not stop a man from shooting his cheating wife and the other guy either. If you've ever been cheated on, you know the feeling of "you know what man? Smoke their asses. Blast to the extreme." And there are probably some of you who read that last sentence and are about to take a 44 magnum to your own head. I know you know where I got that from. 😂 Edit: Oh my god, did he really just say the sex traffickers were the "only people who took care of iris?" Dude what is it with you defending muggers, cheaters and now SEX TRAFFICKERS?
I kinda disagree with some of the things you said about Travis Bickle yes he is kinda of bad guy but also good because he sees himself as the Hero hes like King Kong he means well and his intentions are well meaning and noble, but his actions are not hes not just some super unlikeable guy he's likeable because he is relatable and sad in a way and the more you know about him the more you secretly root for him
Where did he say he wasn't "well intentioned?" Intentions however don't make you less or more bad. You can have the intention of world peace, that won't change that he tried to assassinate someone. Apart from that, the analysis points out that he is a hypocrite. He judges others as scum and what not but doesn't intervene in any meaningful way, and when he does it's destructive and outright traumatizing. And he still only does it because of HIS anger, not because it's right but because he feels like doing it. In no way can you compare king kong who was taken by a group of humans to be used as entertainment too travis.
So I've only heard of this movie and how travis decides to be a hero. Yeah... that's clearly not the movie lol. He sounds like am incel red pill type lol
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote, 'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for'. I agree with the second part." ~Detective William Somerset 1:40 It's "vigilantism," not "vigilanteism." It's both the right and the duty of all free citizens because Natural Law is The People's weapon. To say that we "can't take 'the law' into our hands" is to say that "the law" serves the interests of tyranny ("above") and/or criminality ("below"). "As above, so below." It's a belief system that makes slaves of us all. 6:38 That's fairly close to how Billy Idol describes himself. 11:41 / 12:02 If he's left-eye dominant, he should shoot left-handed. 13:06 What's wrong with that? He was doing his civic duty right there. Natural Law is The People's weapon. 2A uber alles! 13:16 He intercepted an ARMED ROBBERY. Travis did nothing wrong in that scene. Here in Indiana, the average citizen would be on his side. Btw, in a featurette, DeNiro talks about how he gave Travis a Midwestern accent, imagining him being from there. He didn't specify which state. 13:19 How it does it make sense to wait until a social parasite has already maimed or murdered a law-abiding citizen before taking action? Police respond to crime after it happens. Vigilantes have the capability to be proactive in preventing crime (or at least reducing it). "Vigilante" is simply the Spanish word for "watchman." It used to be understood to be the civic duty of all free citizens. Only in recent times, when philosophical weakness, disenfranchisement, and reliance upon government and so-called "laws" (rather than the liberating purity of Natural Law) have become the status quo has the word "vigilante" been used in a negative context (and always by internationalist pinko cucks or other "useful idiots" that serve the interests of globalism and/or imperialism). Down with right-hand-path collectivist slave morality! 13:39 Why is that phrase written in the form of a title? And incorrectly at that! "We Are the People" would be the form of a proper title. There's no need to capitalize "the" unless it's at the beginning. Also, why does he fidget with his foot, then get all frustrated after he knocks the table over and busts his TV?! Like he wasn't able to predict that it would happen! So doggone childish! So don't think that I was praising everything about Travis. He has a duality about him. 14:06 Corresponding with his duality. Sort of a "lust versus compassion" thing going on. 15:10 Notice the pinky nail. Haysoos Quintana from 'The Big Lebowski' also had one of those. It's like an identifying mark for that subculture. 15:31 Unholy? Well, now that just sounds sanctimonious. What good does right-hand-path collectivist slave morality do for humanity anyway? All it does it promote defeatism, fatalism, and appeasement of all forms of tyranny and criminality. 15:45 The mohawk was an homage to The Filthy Thirteen. The Dirty Dozen were based on them. 16:33 They were all pimps and pedos (or hebephiles, whatever). They're not worthy of a single tear to be shed on their behalf and they all belong in a nameless grave. Hail Bickle! Ave vindicta! [cue 'Spear of Justice' theme] 16:50 That's especially surprising in a blue state where corruption and degeneracy run rampant "above" and "below." Tyranny attacks civilization "from above" while criminality attacks "from below." The oppressed have the right to "stand up" to their oppressors, do they not? 18:06 He chose the "good(ish)" ending by following the path of the (relatively) positive side of his duality. Imagine if he'd done like Walter Kovacs or Hugo Stiglitz and gone pro! By that I mean the character Hugo Stiglitz, not the actor he was named after.
this video's name needs to be changed to "Taxi Driver's Terrifying Protagonist". Taxi DRIVER'S. apostrophe after the 'r' if it's possessive. I point this out not to be a smartass - I ain't no smrt - but to help the video seem more professional. when you start a video from an unknown channel, first impressions are everything in this game. "Taxi Driver's Terrifying Protagonist". just trying to help. but sincerely, best of luck out here!
Ive never understood the popularity and how much ppl liked this movie. I watched it a couple years ago and was bored to tears. Travis is terribly unlikeable and i thought that was the point. Unlike other “literally me”, Travis is a very realistic character which makes me worried for anyone who thinks hes just like them fr.
The delusional mindset and the many social faux pas Travis makes from the get-go are too cringe for me to watch, I've never gotten pass the scene where he takes Betsy to see a porno. To me he's too cringe, but also not really believable. The people that I can imagine doing a thing like that are all real weirdos, I mean the kind that can be easily recognised as such, the stereotypical kind of weirdos. Also I kinda lack a real urge to watch the movie all the way through myself since I've always known how the story goes and how it ends, I think I first heard about it when I was a kid and when seeing this movie was kinda a merit in on itself. Other kids would brag about seeing al kinds of violent movies meant for adults, including this movie, and then told the plot to prove it, so I've kinda always known the overall arc of the story. And I must say the story is kinda boring and uneventful, but I get that I've seen so much other stuff that have drawn inspiration from this movie that I'm being unfair saying that.
You missed thew movie, plain and simple. If you think a well made character should be flawless and totally relateable you are missing art as a whole. The fact that you got "bored" during one of the most artistically made movies of the decade if not the century speaks a lot about your willingness to learn, narrowmindness and lack of effort.
Why does this analysis come off as the work of someone who lacks compassion and empathy? Travis is a good hearted man in a messy city which leads to him being confused and scared. Wish the OP would be a bit more professional
Well, the OP has his own opinions, as do you. I would say the majority of the audience who watch Taxi Driver and end up defending a sick, psychopathic man might just share his mindset with him. Others would look at Travis in disgust and and see him for who he really is.
@@swerve_media I wouldn’t go neither extreme. Many people look at things as either black or white I guess. It’s clear Travis is a caring person in the movie if you actually pay attention, however he goes about it in ways that could’ve been handled better. Calling him a “sick psychopathic man” when he doesn’t even fit the bill for that hefty description is not on point. Understanding a person and sympathize/empathize with that person to the point of possibly defending them doesn’t mean you share their mindset. I know you said “might” but that’s just not doing the people “defending” Travis a fair representation of their viewpoint.
@@cabellero1120 in what way? Hes a man consumed by a crazy city and almost breaks but through luck releases his anger in the right direction. Hes definitely not a psycho. You slept during the movie?
Oh look another gen z reviewer focusing on Travis' negative traits and doing his armchair psychological analysis while missing the movie as an art piece. Stop overanalyzing every minute detail and enjoy the filmwork and the broader meaning.
To be fair, I drove a cab before Uber was a thing and if I reported every illicit act I saw or heard over 12-14 hours I would be at the police station for another 12-14 hours.
Humans are vile
Hereby deemed fair
LOL, same. That's exactly what I just said.
I feel like Travis Bickle is the original incel - men like this obviously existed back then or there'd be nothing to draw from, but it's so prevalent in our culture now.
It's always been there. It's always been that way since the beginning. It's just because we have the Internet now that you're noticing it more.
There have always been men like this. It's always a product of extreme trauma. Men want to "fix" certain women because they couldn't fix their mothers or themselves.
I disagree with a lot of what you had to say here, but your analysis of the final sequence is on point. It's way too cheap and easy to discount it as a dream sequence. When you let the movie speak for itself and accept that it's really happening, it opens up the possibility that the film is a social critique of how "We" romanticize violence. Without that end sequence, it's just a critique of Travis' violent acts, but now it's about the violence we all encourage and celebrate.
I think the ending is not that it was a "dream", it's that Travis is obviously still totally disconnected from reality. His paranoia is still there, he still lives in a different state. It's not his dream, it's his nightmare he's still stuck in.
14:50 you say that Travis says sport is the scum of the earth even though he only met him once.
You don't need to know much about a pimp (a child pimp) to gain that kind of an opinion on.
16:50 you say that Travis shouldn't be praised by the public. He killed 3 pimps, and no one knows his personality. I'd call him a somewhat hero if all I knew about him was that he killed 3 pedo pimps.
13:10 he doesn't immediately shoot the criminal. He only shot the guy when he turned around to point the gun at Travis
16:30 but Travis does help iris. Your saying the pimps looked after iris? When Travis killed the pimps, the police returned iris to her family who were very thankful to have her back.
Other than all that, cool video.
Imma be real with you, point 1 is flimsy. Sure, he killed 3 pedos and many people don't exactly feel like they are worth saving, but where does that exactly end then?
Can anybody just walk up to people and shoot them when they committed a crime you deem hard enough to get murdered over? The point isn't about morality neccessarily, it's that travis took action in a selfish way instrad of trying to deal with it in a legal proper way.
Only after that failed (which admittedly, it absolutely would have, we are talking about new york in the 70's) would actions by yourself be considered something necessary.
Also, as for the last point. Do you really think iris just had a happy family and she all up and left. I feel like there is more behind her leaving then just being stupid.
Exactly.
Perhaps I should be a little concerned how relatable I find Travis.
A lot of men do, especially in today’s society, it’s a sad and at the same time scary.
It’s almost like a lot of us just feel unfulfilled at some points in our lives until we REALLY see why we are truly here.
Never give up.
Another interesting thing, as a reader of Blood Meridian, I too feel like it’s in our genes to be brutal, savage and violent because of our past, it’s almost in our nature at times.
How many men do you hear say they were fine one minute, and then blacked out and all they knew was that they weren’t in control anymore and many people around them suffered because of that.
I find those things interesting, the human mind, the type of people that want peace and love, are the same that will act cruel and violent to those who don’t agree with some of their message because of our given free will as human beings.
There will always be conflict and people will always suffer because of the tribalism that comes from it.
Nothing wrong with that, Travis is an slightly unhinged but ultimately righteous anti-hero.
@@uruloki2758 righteous? are you kidding me? how do you miss the point so badly?
You should be very concerned
@@onionbubs386 If you began feeling like Travis what steps would you take to try and wake up out of it.
Everyone has inner demons, some people fight them back, and others sadly succumb to them.
I remember a UA-camr named Etika who was a very good, well mattered young man who always seemed positive and put smile to people’s faces.
Then one day things started to change with him and he began acting out of the ordinary and showed many signs of depression, anxiety and started looking very delusional in some of his streams.
A lot of people tried to help him when they seen the signs, but others did something worse, made fun out of him and egged him on to act more delusional.
Sadly we all know what happened in the end, and it should have never happened.
He even tried to go get help, but sadly that so called help didn’t do much for him, and he would even prove and show that it wasn’t helpful to him.
A lot of men don’t get the serious help they need and when they don’t, the worst happens, not every man can figure out their own problems on their own, they could use positive influences around them without anyone making fun of them and pushing their already fractured state more into the extreme.
There are even stories of men that said that they were saved from doing something bad and stupid just because of one person coming to their aid and talking to them, it’s really true, sometimes just a few good positive words can save a person’s life.
I’m the type that never wants to see anything bad happen to anyone, and believe that not all people are bad, but just grew up enduring bad things while living in bad environments.
Victims of circumstance.
If a person does kill people, hurt them and enjoys doing it over and over, then there is no saving them, they are so far gone.
I love that more and more people are analysing Travis' character
This movie and character are as iconic as they come
Good video my dude, keep improving
16:38 is this a joke? THEY PIMP KIDS!
Precisely. Can't think of much else that warrants what happened to them.
he takes so many leaps with his interpretations of some of travis' actions.
Chief,
It could be that we focus so fierce attention to demonizing a character that we fail to see better qualities within them.
We may also interpret this film as being destiny's way of both preparing Travis's character for his final redemption, as well as preventing him from following through with those actions which would themselves prevent him from saving Iris.
Look at all our greatest heroes: flawed and full of holes.
I can say Travis's character is a hero because of what he has done.
He saved a little girl from a horrible life and horrible fate.
Heroism is not in one's nature, but their acts.
We each have Good and Evil within us. It is our actions which define our character.
I submit that the actions of Travis's character redeemed in total because he saved Iris. Whatever his perversions, whatever his misgivings and defects, he was celebrated all around for truly heroic actions.
We can even see evidence of this in the fact that Betsy re-entered the stage and the manner thereof.
Travis's character desired her most of all. Fate has given him another opportunity at it.
Who knows, maybe because of Travis's character arc, his decisions will be better, his actions more in service to others than his own desires.
Travis's character was a hero, even if only at the end.
@@RexLaRue-jr5wh agreed
@@RexLaRue-jr5whhe saved Iris but traumatised her at the same time, and remember that his first choice was to kill Palantine not pimps. He was ready to Die during Palantine's assasination and if his first plan succeded Iris would never have been rescued. Travis was not a hero, he just wanted to release his inner anger
The shooting in the store.was 100% justified. I spent my entire career in law enforcement and I'm qualified to tell you that in a legal sense you're completely mistaken. "Hasn't hurt anyone yet". Bud you honestly CAN'T be serious, can you? If you're trying to come at this from a moralistic approach or ? But I'm honestly curious about how you arrived at your opinion. Do you honestly feel that it would.have been the more ethical decision to wait and fire upon the subject engaged in a violent armed robbery only AFTER he had shot and possibly killed (read MURDERED) a man simply trying to get through a days work? I look forward to reading your response and again I'm not trying to be any kind of asshole here. I just strongly disagree and am curious about how you arrived at your opinion. I have now finished the video and heard you state you had school work so I it's clear we have a very large difference in age and life experience. That likely has much to do with our difference of opinion.
was looking for this lol
I imagine that your cognizant of the current news so maybe you saw the report about a man and woman who BOTH were packing and got into an absurd dispute with the manager of a grocery store in Philadelphia. Caught on CCTV the man pulled out his gun and shot the other man in the face! The same shit that infected NYC in the early 70's has recycled.. 💀
@@christopherfritz3840 I watch very little news. What is it you're referring to as come back around from 1970's? I know now that prescription pain meds have gotten so difficult to obtain that heroin is back but that can't be what you mean is it?
imagine saying that shooting somebody trying to point a gun at you is unjustified.
@@CheeF_Phetty Idk how people come to have such ridiculous ideologies in this day and age. I feel like it much be being taught in schools. On level of ridiculousness, I find it right up there with the descriptions of the former armed robbery enthusiast. Strange how it seems they're always "turning their life around,about to go back to school, release a hit album, etc.,etc., " When they Fuck up the victim selection process and point that gun at a real shooter, getting something very different than the quick cash they'd demanded.
The letter to his parents tells a lot. He’s claiming to work for the government, almost implying he’s a spy. But this is 1976 and he said at the beginning he was discharged from the military in 1973. Do his parents even know he’s not in the service anymore? After 3 years? That’s odd and casts a dubious cloud over his military record, like maybe he got into something he shouldn’t have in his hometown (his clothes imply he’s from a town in the country, not New York), the judge offered him a choice of military or jail, and after the war, he just never went back home. His case seems murkier than the simple PTSD explanation a lot of folks try to give.
I know the video is kinda old but a lot of missed points in my opinion. The bodyguard did not outsmart Travis. In fact Travis outsmarted him by giving him false information, false name and address. Also you could argue Travis never stood up in the beginning because actually in his mind the the guy's wife (Martin Scorsese) could also be considered scum for cheating.
I wouldn´t say that Mathew and his partners in crime cared about Iris.
Yeah when i heard that, I had to double take. I think 99% of sex trafficking victims wouldn't mind seeing Travis come through with guns a blazin.
I was gonna comment this. People who cared about her wouldn't literally human traffic her. They deserved what they got, and it sucks that she had to see it, but it would have been much worse to do nothing
Travis isn't an angel, but this review was a little easy on the other objectively bad people in the movie.
@@lilahdog568 things is that's not true. Even if it's Stockholm syndrom or impact of manipulation, most sex trafficking victims don't want their perputradors too be hurt.
Which doesn't mean he didn't deserve it. HOWEVER, doing it in front of iris kind of shows that travis does not really care all that much about IRIS, more that his morals have been broken and he feels wronged that "this scum" has done something he doesn't agree with.
He's done something most people call heroic when he was acting out of pure self interest. And as we saw with his plan a, that self interest is not inherently and arguable most of the time Not very good.
@@johnherbert1431 How about, theoretically, just theoretically, shooting into the windows of the apartment and leaving? The police, even if bribed, had to go into the building and look at the situation and the people inside.
This is a great analysis. Taxi Driver is one of those pictures that a lot of people love, but don't truly understand. You mentioned the score, but the camerawork is also very important in this movie; it tells the story in a much more subtle way. Possibly why so many folks miss the actual message.
Again, fantastic video!
That was my exact train of thought that led me to be a taxi driver myself. Stayed up late and drove around then was like why not get paid for doing it too
Excellent analysis!
Like you, I too found Taxi Driver to be underwhelming post my first watch.
However, after rewatching it last night, for the first time in over a decade, I understood the subtleness behind the screenplay which is mirroring Travis' character & ticks to the viewers.
In my opinion, Taxi Driver is the best character-driven story I have come across. Truly intriguing.
I disagree. Travis did nothing because he was unarmed as soon as he was armed he took action. And to say that you should only shoot an armed robber once he has killed somebody and the pimps "looked after" her makes no sense. Good points about Travis being out of touch with reality and stalking Betsy. Also how he ignores all his own vices, but criticizes them in other people is a solid point.
I'm sorry, you have to be armed to stand with a woman being harassed? My brother, travis acts all highly but the only time he does anything is when he feels superior, when he things he has nothing too loose or when he thinks he is clearly gonna win.
I remember seeing the movie when VHS rentals first came out. It was considered 'cutting edge' with fanfare and some called for it to get an X rating..
absolute fear and disdain for abandonment, reckless behaviour, anger, even stalking and hypersexuality, everything you described, even the idealizing of certain people like politicians then discard and resent, these are all symptoms of borderline personality disorder. the gaslighting part is narcissistic but that goes with the territory in cluster B
Boring, why can't y'all armchair psychology majors talk about THE MOVIE as ART instead of hyperanalyzing main character's negative traits whether real or perceived.
lol as if insulting a stranger with a vague meaningless comment about art isn't boring af.@@FlymanMS
I noticed improvement from your last video in overall quality and structure. Good work.
The only thing terrifying about Travis is how relatable he is
Other fun fact: Scorsese was only in that scene becuz the actor who was suppose to be in the scene was in a car accident on his way to filming
Travis character is very complex and I think you did a great job describing him
Hey hey!!! I just found your channel. Totally randomly, but I'm happy to be here. Good luck, keep up the great work and I can't wait to see what you'll cover next.
Good work. An improvement over the last one. Keep it up!
It's similar to Dexter. If u scan Travis and the people he shot, they would all have probably similarly cognitively dissonant concepts of the world. They're specific neuroses either cause them to act out in the favor of a net public gain or deficit. Also Cabbies are often insomniacs and insomnia can cause schizophrenia or it's symptoms
this is basically the swansong of all soldiers and prisoners. they all experience the same disillusionment and detachment after joining back into society, they are lucky if they ever get any semblance of normality much less able to reintegrate. Some of them end up commiting violent acts to ensure that they go back into prison, the only home that they know at that point. im sure the movie is about way more than this but this is just a small thing to notice
once a heard you admit when you were wrong i liked the video wish more creators would do this
Dude, I just found your channel and I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes obviously, but make more videos man. You’re already really good at this and this is only video two, so I’m excited to see the rest of your content. But I just wanted to let you know that although views may not be as high as before they’ll get better in time! Hope alls well and thanks for the good watch!
I've seen recently a totally opposite interpretation of this character, as an alienated, noble and pushed into loneliness man, by a society unable to understand his ultimate goal to protect. The channel was one of those that are constantly arguing that modern masculinity is broken by it's core, by an ideological feminist conspiracy censoring it's true nature of a providing alpha.
Well... Is because it's a really good movie and character, that you two are able to have these opposite interpretations . My personal opinion is somewhere in the middle, with a man who is trying really hard to do whatever he thinks is a good behaviour, but is struggling with his own egoistic, immature and coward impulses.
The real problem here is how to separate the scum from the ones to protect. Who decide under what criteria what is wrong or right. And all this contradictions are a static constant in a world where law o morale are shifting and transforming with every generation.
agree a lot with your interpretation of the character.
I liked this guy's review mostly until he framed child pimps as the only people that cared about iris
Audio sounds sm better well done king
bro how do you only have 127 subs this is amazing!
cybill shepherd is so gorgeous
One of the great beauty's of the time! Maybe of all time. She didn't age as well as say, Sharon Stone, but idk that anyone could hold a candle to Cybil in her prime!
@@r.shanethompson7933 she just lets the age take her young away, but make sure it didn't let her beauty go away.
all the love and support from Saudi Arabia 🙌🙌
Odd, that Travis is supposed to be a former Recon Marine who served in combat. He should be better at surveilling people . . . .
11:15 thats not syrup it's peach schnapps
Liked and subscribed!
All the major players are still alive.. They should do a sequel 45 years later =p
About the store scene. Travis acted well, you don't wait for the guy pointing the gun to shoot first, that's not how self defense or self preservation works, the same if the gun is pointed at a person you want to protect. And he only killed criminals so he in fact did some city cleaning at last. He's a hero by chance but he's the only hero in the entire city.
literally me
Travis is my hero we so alike
A grand hello from Germany, my sister and I find your new-on-UA-cam energy extremely charming, keep up the good work, we will be watching
nice video!
TBH:
The King of comedy.
And... MAGIC (1978). I'd read the book, then watch the movie. That's just me.
$400 70's money on guns sounds like a good investment
One of my favorite films
No bruh just no. 🤡
Only someone like you could compare Travis to the Joker... Perhaps this is because someone like you is unable to experience personal tragedy and the turmoil over the moral breakdown and degradation of society, which is leading humanity towards apocalyptic times.
Not syrup, but peach brandy, if I'm not mistaken.
Victim Posturing 101
Good stuff.
Hey! Good job!!
The idea of Travis today is very real, only now he has an online community to lock in his violent, misogynistic fantasies.
People are attracted to mania. Manic people see patterns and are fully confident of what it means. Regular people want that feeling.
@@kernalfleak Regular people often have a distorted idea of what bipolarity means. For a few, it can give spells of creativity.
@@louistracy6964 Are you bipolar?
The original.. INCEL
@@christopherfritz3840 Why is it such a modern phenomenon?
He’s literally me
For a Taxi Driver he didn't talk much. Not too believable to be honest.
he was a rough looking 26 lol smh
This reminds me of almightyloli and spokstoon
My God! Watched and listened about 7 minutes, and it's VERY, VERY LOW QUALITY, SUPERFICIAL! Practically, post teen analyzes at best!
awww, somebody's mad 😂
I am him.
Tbh around 10:05 I'd probably not stop a man from shooting his cheating wife and the other guy either. If you've ever been cheated on, you know the feeling of "you know what man? Smoke their asses. Blast to the extreme."
And there are probably some of you who read that last sentence and are about to take a 44 magnum to your own head. I know you know where I got that from. 😂
Edit: Oh my god, did he really just say the sex traffickers were the "only people who took care of iris?" Dude what is it with you defending muggers, cheaters and now SEX TRAFFICKERS?
I've been cheated on and you sound like a goddamn maniac
He does seem twisted in his attempts to demonize Travis.
@@onionbubs386 You've probably been cucked too lmao
I think you've been put on a list for that comment my buddy.
You're getting a great picture of the scum of the earth Travis repeatedly monologues about in his head.
I kinda disagree with some of the things you said about Travis Bickle yes he is kinda of bad guy but also good because he sees himself as the Hero hes like King Kong he means well and his intentions are well meaning and noble, but his actions are not hes not just some super unlikeable guy he's likeable because he is relatable and sad in a way and the more you know about him the more you secretly root for him
Where did he say he wasn't "well intentioned?" Intentions however don't make you less or more bad. You can have the intention of world peace, that won't change that he tried to assassinate someone.
Apart from that, the analysis points out that he is a hypocrite. He judges others as scum and what not but doesn't intervene in any meaningful way, and when he does it's destructive and outright traumatizing. And he still only does it because of HIS anger, not because it's right but because he feels like doing it. In no way can you compare king kong who was taken by a group of humans to be used as entertainment too travis.
So I've only heard of this movie and how travis decides to be a hero. Yeah... that's clearly not the movie lol. He sounds like am incel red pill type lol
you should change your channel name to "and you would be correct"
blessings!
Good analysis, but he shot sport in the gut, not the chest x
In real life Bernhard Goetz became a hero, even to black people. At least until Al Sharpton emerged.
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote, 'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for'. I agree with the second part." ~Detective William Somerset
1:40 It's "vigilantism," not "vigilanteism." It's both the right and the duty of all free citizens because Natural Law is The People's weapon. To say that we "can't take 'the law' into our hands" is to say that "the law" serves the interests of tyranny ("above") and/or criminality ("below"). "As above, so below." It's a belief system that makes slaves of us all.
6:38 That's fairly close to how Billy Idol describes himself.
11:41 / 12:02 If he's left-eye dominant, he should shoot left-handed.
13:06 What's wrong with that? He was doing his civic duty right there. Natural Law is The People's weapon. 2A uber alles!
13:16 He intercepted an ARMED ROBBERY. Travis did nothing wrong in that scene. Here in Indiana, the average citizen would be on his side. Btw, in a featurette, DeNiro talks about how he gave Travis a Midwestern accent, imagining him being from there. He didn't specify which state.
13:19 How it does it make sense to wait until a social parasite has already maimed or murdered a law-abiding citizen before taking action? Police respond to crime after it happens. Vigilantes have the capability to be proactive in preventing crime (or at least reducing it). "Vigilante" is simply the Spanish word for "watchman." It used to be understood to be the civic duty of all free citizens. Only in recent times, when philosophical weakness, disenfranchisement, and reliance upon government and so-called "laws" (rather than the liberating purity of Natural Law) have become the status quo has the word "vigilante" been used in a negative context (and always by internationalist pinko cucks or other "useful idiots" that serve the interests of globalism and/or imperialism). Down with right-hand-path collectivist slave morality!
13:39 Why is that phrase written in the form of a title? And incorrectly at that! "We Are the People" would be the form of a proper title. There's no need to capitalize "the" unless it's at the beginning. Also, why does he fidget with his foot, then get all frustrated after he knocks the table over and busts his TV?! Like he wasn't able to predict that it would happen! So doggone childish! So don't think that I was praising everything about Travis. He has a duality about him.
14:06 Corresponding with his duality. Sort of a "lust versus compassion" thing going on.
15:10 Notice the pinky nail. Haysoos Quintana from 'The Big Lebowski' also had one of those. It's like an identifying mark for that subculture.
15:31 Unholy? Well, now that just sounds sanctimonious. What good does right-hand-path collectivist slave morality do for humanity anyway? All it does it promote defeatism, fatalism, and appeasement of all forms of tyranny and criminality.
15:45 The mohawk was an homage to The Filthy Thirteen. The Dirty Dozen were based on them.
16:33 They were all pimps and pedos (or hebephiles, whatever). They're not worthy of a single tear to be shed on their behalf and they all belong in a nameless grave. Hail Bickle! Ave vindicta! [cue 'Spear of Justice' theme]
16:50 That's especially surprising in a blue state where corruption and degeneracy run rampant "above" and "below." Tyranny attacks civilization "from above" while criminality attacks "from below." The oppressed have the right to "stand up" to their oppressors, do they not?
18:06 He chose the "good(ish)" ending by following the path of the (relatively) positive side of his duality. Imagine if he'd done like Walter Kovacs or Hugo Stiglitz and gone pro! By that I mean the character Hugo Stiglitz, not the actor he was named after.
nice
Joe Rogan should get this guy on his podcast ASAP
Why, because he doesn't have enough clueless hacks?
@@FlymanMS someones a "literally me" representation huh.
Domt compare Joaquin Phoenix Joker to Taxi Driver that movie is horrible
a liberal explaining a movie
this video's name needs to be changed to "Taxi Driver's Terrifying Protagonist".
Taxi DRIVER'S. apostrophe after the 'r' if it's possessive.
I point this out not to be a smartass - I ain't no smrt - but to help the video seem more professional. when you start a video from an unknown channel, first impressions are everything in this game.
"Taxi Driver's Terrifying Protagonist". just trying to help. but sincerely, best of luck out here!
Ive never understood the popularity and how much ppl liked this movie. I watched it a couple years ago and was bored to tears. Travis is terribly unlikeable and i thought that was the point. Unlike other “literally me”, Travis is a very realistic character which makes me worried for anyone who thinks hes just like them fr.
The delusional mindset and the many social faux pas Travis makes from the get-go are too cringe for me to watch, I've never gotten pass the scene where he takes Betsy to see a porno. To me he's too cringe, but also not really believable. The people that I can imagine doing a thing like that are all real weirdos, I mean the kind that can be easily recognised as such, the stereotypical kind of weirdos.
Also I kinda lack a real urge to watch the movie all the way through myself since I've always known how the story goes and how it ends, I think I first heard about it when I was a kid and when seeing this movie was kinda a merit in on itself. Other kids would brag about seeing al kinds of violent movies meant for adults, including this movie, and then told the plot to prove it, so I've kinda always known the overall arc of the story.
And I must say the story is kinda boring and uneventful, but I get that I've seen so much other stuff that have drawn inspiration from this movie that I'm being unfair saying that.
You missed thew movie, plain and simple. If you think a well made character should be flawless and totally relateable you are missing art as a whole. The fact that you got "bored" during one of the most artistically made movies of the decade if not the century speaks a lot about your willingness to learn, narrowmindness and lack of effort.
Travis Bickle was more of an Antagonist, I'd thought.
Sociopath, maybe
textbook narcissist..
Midnight Cowboy is, in my opinion, a better film.
Why does this analysis come off as the work of someone who lacks compassion and empathy? Travis is a good hearted man in a messy city which leads to him being confused and scared. Wish the OP would be a bit more professional
Well, the OP has his own opinions, as do you. I would say the majority of the audience who watch Taxi Driver and end up defending a sick, psychopathic man might just share his mindset with him. Others would look at Travis in disgust and and see him for who he really is.
@@swerve_media I wouldn’t go neither extreme. Many people look at things as either black or white I guess. It’s clear Travis is a caring person in the movie if you actually pay attention, however he goes about it in ways that could’ve been handled better. Calling him a “sick psychopathic man” when he doesn’t even fit the bill for that hefty description is not on point.
Understanding a person and sympathize/empathize with that person to the point of possibly defending them doesn’t mean you share their mindset. I know you said “might” but that’s just not doing the people “defending” Travis a fair representation of their viewpoint.
Bickle is, Ultimately, a psychopath.
He is consumed by his rage.
He may have started out innocuous, but it progressed...
@@cabellero1120 in what way? Hes a man consumed by a crazy city and almost breaks but through luck releases his anger in the right direction. Hes definitely not a psycho. You slept during the movie?
@@swerve_media seems you lack the ability to pay attention to a movie
You got so much wrong here it's crazy.
What a nonsensical view of Travis
Oh look another gen z reviewer focusing on Travis' negative traits and doing his armchair psychological analysis while missing the movie as an art piece. Stop overanalyzing every minute detail and enjoy the filmwork and the broader meaning.
this is great made me lol #based
You just hate him because you ain't him.
You aren't either
Soy arguments tbh Travis didn't do anything wrong
You mis read the guy for sure.
good vid had the swag but no game sigma male