Robert de Niro is Travis Bickle, a lonely Vietnam vet turned vigilante killer in what Jonathan Rosenbaum called “the most formally ravishing as well as the most morally and ideologically problematic film ever directed by Martin Scorsese.” Suffering from insomnia and intense self-loathing, Travis cruises New York City’s streets as a taxi driver. His attempts to woo a presidential campaign worker (Cybill Shepherd) and rescue an underage prostitute (Jodie Foster) contribute to his savior complex and form the crux of the story through which Scorsese examines the darker recesses of society and the human psyche.