Parents' Guide to

Taxi Driver

By David Gurney, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

'70s classic is extremely violent; lots of sex, language.

Movie R 1976 112 minutes
Taxi Driver Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 21 parent reviews

age 14+

Honestly this is a must watch for any teen

So long you know they're smart enough to discern that Travis isn't the good guy. I feel this movie is really important for teenagers to watch because it's commentary on male isolation and why you should talk to people about your feelings instead of letting it boil inside.

This title has:

Great messages
1 person found this helpful.
age 18+

Possibly the best first person perspective movie! Taxi Driver (1976)

A lonely depressed mental Vietnam vet, Travis Bickles is stable but mentally unstable man. It is unclear of what he is suffering off, he could suffer from a mild form of autism, maybe PTSD from going through nam, or even possibly being a psychopath. It was never stated. Taxi Driver is a classic, but it is quite dark and depressing. The movies revolves around Travis saving a 13 year old girl that is a prostitute from a pimp. Swear words are constant throughout the entire movie.. The F bomb is said dozens of times, the C word is used once or twice. also words such as N*****, D*mn, h*** B****, a** are said. The violence in this film is realistic/disturbing. A man was robbing a store. Travis then pulls out a gun and shoots the robber in the head. The clerk that was being robbed, picks up the dead robber and begins beating the corps with a crowbar. "Later in the movie " Travis tries to assassinate a candidate running for President! Near the end of the film, Travis commits a mass shooting in order to save this girl from these pimpsters. This shootout scene is quite intense airy gritty and very realistic! Travis shoots a man's hand off, then soon shooting another person in the face multiple times in slow motion. I won't spoil the rest, but this shooting was very different from your average bloody movie shootouts. Throughout the movie Travis is seen in x rated theaters watching pornos. While Taxi Driver is a unique film, make sure to keep it out of reach from kids.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (21):
Kids say (45):

Teenagers curious about extremely violent films are likely to learn of this film's reputation, especially the tour-de-force performance of Robert De Niro. Taxi Driver was the first major collaboration between De Niro and director Martin Scorsese. Working from Paul Schrader's script, the resulting film is deeply affecting in its ability to bring the viewer into the frame of mind of a violent and volatile social misfit. Feeding off a general sense of unrest that many young people will experience in life, the film does an amazing job of depicting Bickle as a real human being with problems, rather than a cartoonish villain. In Travis' mind, his morals are well tuned, obligating him to turn crusader for his own version of decency. It's hard to wholly cast him as the "bad guy," and so much moral ambiguity exists.

The imagery of New York City at night almost functions as a second main character, with striking visuals and all sorts of unsavory characters. It's a truly stunning masterpiece that helped to solidify an actor-director relationship that went on to produce many other great films.

Movie Details

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