HBO Max Is Streaming The Robert De Niro Thriller That Defined The '70s

It was a character study that defined the 1970s. Capturing all the grime and grit New York City has to offer, "Taxi Driver" scored four Oscar nominations and has gone on to become one of Martin Scorsese's most popular dramas. If you've never seen it or want to revisit the travails of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro in one of his best movies) just in time for the 50th anniversary of the flick's release, then you can catch the film streaming on HBO Max.

Bickle is a cab-driving Vietnam veteran searching for a purpose and human connection on the night shift. Unfortunately, his PTSD and general psychosis blights his every interaction. His thirst for violence grows and he becomes obsessed with the notion of cleansing the city of its filth by any means necessary. Travis focuses his quest for redemption on two totally different people: Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a sophisticated campaign worker whom Travis awkwardly tries to date, and Iris Steensma (Jodie Foster) a 12-year-old sex trafficking victim whom he tries to protect. Bickle almost assassinates Betsy's boss, Senator Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris), but the ending of "Taxi Driver" sees him go after Iris' pimp, "Sport" (Harvey Keitel), instead. The showdown that will either secure Bickle's status as a hero — or confirm his nihilism. 

"Taxi Driver" was a huge hit — it made over $28 million on a budget that hovered just under the $2 million mark. It's still an incredibly provocative viewing experience decades after it first hit the big screen, with its depiction of Travis Bickle as a Vietnam War veteran spiraling into crisis. The movie still inspires conversation about what combat trauma does to those who serve their country. 

At the core of the movie stands one man, alone and unable to find love, and some audience members couldn't tolerate his fury. In its time, "Taxi Driver" was both acclaimed and somewhat reviled for its honest depiction of a life lived on the fringes of society. To wit, audiences at the Cannes Film Festival booed the motion picture's climactic shootout, but they would also award the film its Palme D'Or. 

On top of that, "Taxi Driver" was nearly rated X by the MPAA. "There was no way the studio was going to release an X, understandably," Martin Scorsese recalled for The Hollywood Reporter's oral history of the movie. "I had the same problems with "Mean Streets." I'm used to it. We were told we were going into a meeting and the studio was going to discuss with us how to proceed. We sat down, took out a pen, and the studio exec turned to us and said, 'Cut it for an R or we cut it.' Then we were dismissed." How did Scorsese get around the studio's restrictions? He desaturated the color during Bickle's last stand, a measure that got him an "R" at last.

Further controversy was generated by Jodie Foster's inclusion in "Taxi Driver," which apparently made everyone uneasy. Foster was the same age as Iris when she was cast in the role, and 13 during filming. "He [Martin Scorsese] called my mom about the part, and she thought he was crazy," Foster explained in a Vanity Fair interview. "But I went in to meet him for an interview. My mom thought, with my school uniform on, there was no way he'd think I was right for it. But he said yes, and she trusted him."

Among the uncomfortable adults concerned about Foster's portion of the flick were representatives of the Board of Education, which initially refused to sign her work permit due to the frank nature of "Taxi Driver." It nearly put an end to her work as Iris, but Foster's reps ultimately sorted out a compromise with the Board. "Part of the deal that we made with them was if there are any sexually suggestive scenes, we'll get somebody else to do it," she said on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast. "And my mom was like, 'Look, her sister can come to New York for the summer. She's over 18 and she's about the same size.' And so that's what happened." All of that hard work paid off in the end — Foster was nominated for an Oscar for playing Iris, setting her up for a lifetime of success and proving that Scorsese was right to pick her.