Taxi Driver
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You are currently reading a thread in /r9k/ - ROBOT9001
You are currently reading a thread in /r9k/ - ROBOT9001
>saw Taxi Driver for the first time today
>always read about how shocked and appalled people were by the movie and the character of Travis
>tfw I identified with him completely while watching and thought nothing of it
>tfw he literally said or did nothing wrong throughout the whole film
I don't get it. What do normies find so shocking about this film? That a man can be lonely? That a man can dislike society for shunning him? That a man can see society for the filth that it is? I just don't get it.
>>27684235
the movie is shit like every other generic pseudo-intellectual crap with the "message"
i guess its how he went kinda nuts in the middle of the film
he started living in his power fantasies and hoarding up guns and putting them up his sleeves without any reason, you know? the "are you talking to me", that's literally where his power fantasies begin to manifest in reality and instead of just a sympathetic, awkward, lonely guy he turns into something different
i mean he tried to kill the president candidate for no apparent reason whatsoever
>>27684308
"Power fantasies?" You mean the part of the movie where he stopped being a fucking beta bitch that let society walk all over him, and instead transcended to being someone who didn't take shit from anyone and focused on self-improvement? He stopped being a "sympathetic, awkward, lonely guy" and got to a mental state where he didn't give a shit about any of that, and you perceive that to be a bad thing?
>he tried to kill the president candidate for no apparent reason
>no apparent reason
Watch the movie again m8.
>>27684235
Just realized how much Travis looks like Heroin Bob
It was shocking because he murdered a bunch of pimps in a very bloody rampage, at a time where such graphic violence just wasn't seen in mainstream film.
BTW, every aspie/neckbeard/robot ever sees the movie and identifies with Travis.
>tfw have a similar facial structure as young De Niro
He saved the girl
>>27685007
Yet if he hadn't fucked up earlier he would have been known as a violent maniac instead of as a hero. Which underlines how fucked up Travis's pathology was, his only goal was to kill the men who he percieved as keeping him from having his idealized women.
>>27684235
m8 you sound like a certified badass, you should totally drive a NYC cab
WEEEOOOO! WEEOOO!
WE GOTTA SPECIAL FUCKING SNOWFLAKE OVER HERE!
>>27685032
This deserves a re-watch for me. I haven't seen it in a while.
>>27684962
>>27685114
>a group of faggots likes something so that means no one else can for fear of being associated with them
Fuck off.
>>27684440
>"Power fantasies?" You mean the part of the movie where he stopped being a fucking beta bitch that let society walk all over him, and instead transcended to being someone who didn't take shit from anyone and focused on self-improvement? He stopped being a "sympathetic, awkward, lonely guy" and got to a mental state where he didn't give a shit about any of that, and you perceive that to be a bad thing?
this. he got fed up with the filthy surroundings/immoral, heartless people he lives around, and decides to do something about it, becomes based travis who is seen as a hero at the end of the movie by actually making a difference in the place he lives
>anyone implying this is a character that isn't a decent role model is probably a normie that likes the immoral filth that travis mentions at the start of the movie
>>27685032
>his only goal was to kill the men who he percieved as keeping him from having his idealized women
Actually he wanted to clean the scum off the streets, he says so himself multiple times. Freeing the girl from her pimps was an added bonus.
He totally blew it with that qt tho
>>27685243
Thats wrong though, because Travis is just as much of a filthy piece of shit that he hates. He drinks, does drugs and hangs out in porno theatres. In his darker moments he stalks women and gets disturbingly possessive of them.
The thing that really pisses Travis off is how the people around him are able to relate to each other, form relationships and have sex. Thats what he sees when he drives his cab around and thats what sets him off. He spots Betsy in a chance encounter, forms a completely false and idealized image of her and when she rejects him he ends up projecting his own flaws onto her (which is what he does to everyone else) and writes her off as being just as bad as everyone else.
Thats not to say Travis doesn't have ethics. He obviously does. But he is deeply disturbed and a total hypocrite.
>>27685286
>taking what Travis says at face value.
Travis is a crazy man. His words don't mean shit.
>>27685410
Travis is a deprived guy who is aware of how shitty his surroundings are, and just wanted to be a impress and date a girl since he pretty much has no other reason to live, but his own depravity ruined it, and even though he gave her options and sincerely apologized as well to regain her trust, she still rejected him heartlessly rather than forgiving him. After this, he had no other goals, so he decided to make himself useful and attempted to take forceful action against the immorality on the streets because he saw no other way to do so.
He may have been disturbed, but he still tried to be a person rather than rotting away or completely giving in to immorality like all the others
how is he a hypocrite though?
>>27685986
>how is he a hypocrite though?
That other anon was trying to say that his drug use and porno habit somehow made him as degenerate as the pimps and criminals, which is absolute bullshit just like the rest of his post. Travis wasn't crazy or a hypocrite.
"seinfeld isnt't funny"
look it up, youre desensitized to something that had a huge impact on everything following it culturally
youre also a faggot from pol or a conservative who cant see the irony
The only people I know who actually like this movie were normies in college who probably are living totally normie lives now.
>>27686091
Seinfeld honestly isn't funny. I understand it was one of the most influencial sitcoms ever made due to its nonlinear structure among other things, but I never saw the appeal in it compared to other superior sitcoms like Friends for example.
>>27686154
yeah, no
friends was derivative, appalling tripe that rode the seinfeld wave
While many would argue that the main theme of this film is "loneliness", I would endorse the claim that the main theme is "ennui".
Sure, Travis is lonely, but I think his loneliness stems from a more powerful emotion, one the has consumed every waking moment of his life. Living in 1970s New York would have been the perfect breeding grounds for one to develop an overwhelming sense of nihilism, witnessing all of the degeneracy the world has to offer, seeing humanity in its' most pure form. Travis longs for a purpose in this world, yet, he can find none, as ultimately, there is none to be found. He spends entire nights driving people around simply because of the fact that he has absolutely nothing to do with his life. Eventually, he snaps, believing that if he were to accomplish some sort of greater deed, that he could find the raison d'etre his heart desires. Whether it be by murdering a political figure, or killing a pimp, he will stop at nothing to ease the aching feeling known as ennui.
>>27686496
Exactly. Beautifully said.
>>27684235
all i've read were rave reviews for scorcese
loved the scene where scorcese said he would blast his wife's pussy with a magnum 44 because she was fucking a black guy
now looking back on it, scorcese was into the cuck meme way back in the 80s lol
>>27686030
>>27685986
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8se9Zxy1Njo
travis is an unreliable narrator and skews events to fit his own fantasy. he goes looking for things to support his delusions and ignores all evidence to the contrary.. he enjoys and seeks out his own suffering just to support his deluded worldview.
he's a true robot
>>27684235
i was gonna say travis was one of us
then i realised how easy it was for him to charm betsy into going out on a date with him
no robot would even have the balls to approach a girl like that
travis is a chad by our standards
>>27686925
>travis is an unreliable narrator and skews events to fit his own fantasy. he goes looking for things to support his delusions and ignores all evidence to the contrary.. he enjoys and seeks out his own suffering just to support his deluded worldview.
That sounds like it's written by someone who is unaware of the fact New York truly was a fucking disgusting cesspit not too long ago.
>>27686496
>>27686821
nope. thats the "surface level" reading of the movie, which is false, and Travis' own spin on things which he wants you to believe. yeah theres bullshit in the city, but travis is a part of that and deliberately seeks it out and he isn't interested in cleaning it up either, hes looking for an excuse to exact his own violence and self hate
watch this video >>27686925
>>27686925
Thanks for the video. I've been looking for some good long-form analysis of films, they're comfy as fuck to listen to.
>>27687053
np, yeah they are pretty comfy.. originally saw it on r9k in a taxi driver thread
theres a good one on "eyes wide shut" as well (and probably most kubrick movies)
The failed hero Travis Bickle represents something more than social disenfranchisement and alienation, for "God's lonely man" languishes in metaphysical despair due to the emergence of a universe in which the True, the Good, and the Beautiful have not only lost their meaning but have evaporated altogether. The Underground Man and Travis Bickle are, in effect, prophets excoriating Babylon, but without any promise of deliverance; they are Theseus in the labyrinth of the city but with no Ariadne and no Olympus. In this state of "spiritual poverty" and "spiritual bleakness," which Jung anticipated that the hero would face, the protagonist retains an intuitive longing for the ideal but no longer possesses the capacity for identifying, exemplifying or realizing it. "Either a hero or dirt-there was no middle ground," writes the Underground Man. Indeed no middle ground exists for this archetype, nor does any distinction between the hero and dirt.
>>27686997
God I miss t those days
>>27687021
No. Your version is normie level shit, and I will never accept it. Not watching your shit vid btw.
i identified with him because of how lonely he was. the scenes where he was just driving around at night, with no connections to anyone...and the scenes where he's hanging with fellow workers in the cafe, but not connecting with them at all
was literally just about to rewatch taxi driver and then i saw this thread, this is gonna be good
There is a theory that he was actually working for the government on a secret mission to kill Palpatine. That would be one of the reasons he always say that is working for the government.
>>27687273
same desu
we should set up a stream, GOAT robot movie
>>27687021
New York was notoriously crime-ridden and generally horrible and dirty when the film was produced, yours is a poor interpretation, Travis was not "seeking out" the negative he was literally surrounded by it, it was inescapable.
>>27687410
that would really be incredible but i have literally no idea how to stream man
>>27685286
That was just a justification for his lashing out not a prime motivation, rewatch and stop taking people's stated reasons as their actual motivations, learn some subtlety
>>27687499
Do you guys wants Taxi Driver or some good robotcore cinema?
>>27687166
This. Glad someone finally said it. All that bullshit on Travis "not wanting to clean up the streets, only wanting an excuse for violence" is complete utter bullshit. Why would he say he wanted to clean up the street and lie about it when he was honest throughout the entire fucking movie? Fucking normies, I swear.
>>27687527
>http://original.livestream.com/capitalwasteland2
Gummo would be a fun watch desu
>>27687494
No, you rewatch the scene where he says he wants to clean the scum off the streets. It took him a while to say it because he was finally opening up to someone.
>>27687553
The "unreliable narrator" is an idiot's go-to trope regarding almost any work in which the protagonist is of questionable moral character, it's pretty much a cop-out.
>>27687527
Maybe throw in Combat Shock too.
>>27687553
To be fair, I'm not necessarily saying that he did it for the sake of cleaning up the streets itself, but I'm merely claiming that the anon who said that Travis would "seek" things he hates is retarded. That was a bullshit post.
As I said earlier, cleaning up the streets is not his main goal, but finding a purpose in this seemingly meaningless world is. He's not exactly a universal beacon of morality himself.
>>27687527
>2nd movie
>Lost in Translation
Stopped reading that list there. Go kill yourself. That is not a robot movie and the fact that you think it is makes me suspect that you may be a normalfag.
>>27684235
I appreciate the movie for the cinematography and that it's a time capsule of gritty 1976 NYC, but I find it to be a little overrated.
If you don't see what's wrong with Travis, you're an autist and missed the point of the movie.
>>27688012
The point of the movie is to show how travis is consumed by narcissism and becomes a hypocrite. He says some things that are true, but becomes so passionate about fixing those disgusting things that he becomes disgusting himself.
>>27688131
>hypocrite
Yeah fucking right. Doing drugs and liking porn isn't nearly as bad as beating women as a pimp or being a violent criminal hurting innocents. No one Travis shot was innocent.
>>27688310
>beating women isn't okay
>murdering people in cold blood is okay
you should examine your moral code
>>27688012
>>27688131
>>27688310
>>27688377
>neurotypicals trying to into Taxi Driver
lol
>>27688427
>being such a self-righteous fag that you invent pejoratives for people who are normal
>>27688377
I never said murdering people was ok, I said he never hurt anyone who wasn't innocent, unlike the criminals he hated. This is why he's not a hypocrite like every filthy fucking normie likes to think.
>>27688452
>invent
I didn't invent it. It's a common manner of referring to one who would be deemed a normalfag here. Kill yourself neurotypical.
>>27688310
Travis isn't just against pimps or violent criminals though. He's against all forms of scummy low-rent life out on the streets, and he's a part of that. His hypocrisy is in viewing all of those people as the absolute worst of humanity while believing himself to be a paragon of virtue, when in reality most of them are just scuzzy people and he is one of them.
His view of reality is completely warped.
>>27688485
>I said he never hurt anyone who wasn't innocent
But that was ONLY by happenstance. His plan was to assassinate a totally innocent presidential candidate, and if he had been able to go through with his plan he never would have killed the pimps.
Thats the whole point of the movie. Travis puts himself on a moral soapbox but his conflict isn't moral, it's interpersonal. He projects his own flaws onto others to cope with his distaste for himself. He divides the world between angels and sinners, completely black and white with no regard for the actual human side of things. From a distance he creates a completely false and idealized image of Betsy, while we see that she is a person with her own personality, interests and relationships, none of which Travis can understand at all.
Travis compensates for his social shortcomings with a moral crusade, but all he ends up doing is targeting the men who are able to have the women he covets. Morality has nothing to do with what he's doing, thats just his own fucked up delusion. If he was really a right-hearted vigilante then he wouldn't have tried to kill Palentine.
He purposely drives in the grungier areas of the city, but when he drives by all we really see is couples together. Travis wants to be like them and can't be, so he convinces himself that he's superior to them and that they need to be destroyed.
Travis is deeply disturbed, and anyone who disagrees just doesn't understand the movie and needs to pay more attention.
>>27684981
lmao you wish
>>27688883
This is why normies aren't worth arguing with, they just don't get it.
>>27689027
I'm not a normie you goof. It's funny that you think you can understand who I am based on basic analysis of a goddamn movie.
>Here is a man who would not take it anymore
>>27688377
Executing people for crimes that deserve death is not murder
>>27689120
>>27688883
Pretty much everything you said is just opinion. Which is understandable considering everything I said is opinion as well, but the reason I point that out is because when you say things like "his plan was to assassinate a totally innocent presidential candidate," I completely disagree. He could have easily taken the shot on the president, but didn't. I think he just wanted to see if he could do it in theory, hence why he never busted out his gun and pulled the trigger even when he had a clear shot.
So when you say "he tried to kill Palentine" it's factually wrong. Everything else is just a disagreement of opinion.
People need to acknowledge Travis' experiences in Vietnam more. We see the scars on his back in that workout scene, looks like he was beaten, likely in a prison camp. Obviously has solidified his distrust in people, and probably politicians as well.
>>27689157
>maybe if I post le supreme gentleman meme, I'll get a reply
here's your (you), now get out!
>>27684262
>my faavrit movee is avatr cus of cool 3d
>>27689174
>I think he just wanted to see if he could do it in theory, hence why he never busted out his gun and pulled the trigger even when he had a clear shot.
That is absolute nonsense.
He was clearly going for his gun and was spotted before he could pull it.
You're just making shit up now.
>>27689324
Again, he had a clear shot. And it's funny you accuse me of "making shit up" when you wrote paragraphs about Travis' motives despite him never mentioning them. For example, you say "Travis isn't just against pimps or violent criminals though. He's against all forms of scummy low-rent life out on the streets" yet he only killed the criminals/pimps.
>>27684235
I actually wasn't aware that people disliked him. I thought the point is that we (well, men at least) were supposed to relate to him. I guess that's why we're here.
>>27689389
>For example, you say "Travis isn't just against pimps or violent criminals though. He's against all forms of scummy low-rent life out on the streets" yet he only killed the criminals/pimps.
Not him, but: Travis only having killed the pimps doesn't really disprove his remark.
Travis likely didn't follow through with killing Palantine because he saw that it would be foiled before he could pull it off; thus, he resorted to another target.
>>27689389
>Again, he had a clear shot.
Yeah, he did, right up until he got spotted with his hand on his gun. Then the mission got blown and he had to abort.
There is not a single shred of evidence in the movie to indicate that he has anything but the full intention of assassinating Palentine. The "he wanted to see if he could do it" is complete nonsense and conjecture pulled out of NOWHERE with nothing to back it up.
>Travis' motives despite him never mentioning them
Well obviously, because Travis is an unreliable narrator. Taking his narration at face value is watching the movie wrong. The real story is being told in how the movie is shot and edited. For example, we know Travis is a racist from the way the subjective camera hangs on black people, not from anything he says about them.
Judging from your posts you've misjudged the movie completely. Go read a fucking book. It's one of the most analyzed movies of the last half century and it's pretty much been figured out top to bottom. Read that shit and get back to me.
>>27689453
There's still no proof that "he's against all forms of scummy low-rent life and not just pimps and criminals" like that anon said. Which is hilarious considering he accuses me of "making shit up."
>>27689519
>The "he wanted to see if he could do it" is complete nonsense and conjecture pulled out of NOWHERE with nothing to back it up
You do realize pretty much everything you say is also conjecture, right? I've pointed that out with multiple examples.
>Judging from your posts you've misjudged the movie completely. Go read a fucking book.
Ah, your condescending normie side comes out in full force for everyone to see. Amazing how that happens every time.
>>27689174
This, he was talking to the ss guy to see if he would notice the gun.
>>27684235
From what I've heard it's a super robot tier movie. Welcome home op
>>27687735
I remember seeing LiT in the theater and loving every second of it. It does capture a certain feeling of wistfulness that nothing else can match. It's also about disillusionment and being jaded with life. Is it a "robot movie"? I don't know, but I do know that it's a good movie that lots of people on here would enjoy.
On of the most robot characters I can think of.
>>27690016
Man, I just started watching that movie since you recommended it and Robin Williams is just fantastic. I highly recommend his Law and Order episode, which was not only the best LAO episode ever made (granted that's not saying much) but was one of William's best performances in my opinion. S9 EP17 "Authority", it's on Hulu, not sure about other places. Basically Williams plays this guy who calls a Mcdonalds masquerading as a police officer and convinces the manager to fondle a roastie, he then defends himself in court and makes a lot of excellent points about not mindlessly succumbing to authority. Then a bunch of shit goes down which I won't spoil.
>>27690409
I'll download it since I don't want to watch it now and I'll forget to watch on Hulu later.
>>27690619
I guarantee you'll love it. I hate Law and Order with a passion but that episode was top-notch, mainly because the entire focus was on William's excellent character.
perfectly captures the dread and ennui of a lonely young man wandering aimlessly through a spiritual desert
>>27690711
>spiritual
Oh fuck off
>>27687527
still bothers me that It's Such a Beautiful Day isn't on that.
>>27690756
damn it. "atheists" are just as short sighted and dogmatic as religious people. asshole
>>27690771
Her by Spike Jonze should definitely be on that list, I mean for fuck's sake the movie's about a awkward middle-aged man who falls in love with his computer waifu.
>>27688310
You forgot the part where he nearly shot Palladino
Travis is you fucks.
Travis is a guy who constantly projects his insecurities and flaws onto the world around him, and actively seeks out things to affirm his shitty view.
He goes around and around, pretending he's the prettiest piece of shit on the pile, yet he's a servant of the people as a taxi driver. The entire movie he's talking to himself about how he'll fix everything, how he'll clean up all this garbage and trash.
What happened with Betsy is just like what you idiots complain about all the time. He found a pretty girl, is nice to her and everything. But then when she finds out he's a creep she leaves, and he can't let her go but can't face the fact that the way he lived his life was disgusting to her so he just blames her for it. He lumps her in with the rest of the filth, just like what you guys do every day.
And in the end? All that moaning, bitching, running himself in circles until he was so emotionally broken he bursted. But what did he accomplish? Fuck all. All that worry, that preparation, that loathing and anxiety and hatred for everything, all brought to kill a petty pimp and save one single girl. And the best part? He didn't do it for the girl. The girl was just a scapegoat, just something for him to think of as special, a justification maybe. But you're talking about a crime riddled city with corruption out the ass. He did next to nothing. All of that and he barely got anything, in fact he probably scarred that girl for life.
He's just like you guys, only at least he managed to do a little something. But you guys won't believe any of this. You'll twist the narrative because that's what you do. You believe everything is wrong and fucked up and dark, and you refuse to try to do anything about it. There are good people and good things out there anons. But you're just not willing to go out and find them.
>>27688493
So you're saying not being an autist is a good thing?
Fucking jesus your head is so far up your ass.
>>27689562
>not mentioning that your logic is foiled before and simply attacking the argument
i know he's also being hostile but come the fuck on, you're both idiots.
>>27691727
My logic was foiled? How? Everything both him and I said was conjecture. I fully admitted that earlier in the thread.
>>27691757
>Yeah, he did, right up until he got spotted with his hand on his gun. Then the mission got blown and he had to abort.
>There is not a single shred of evidence in the movie to indicate that he has anything but the full intention of assassinating Palentine.
There's far more evidence in the movie to suggest that he was stopped because the guards saw him. In no way does it at all suggest that he was "just thinking about it." There is no evidence to support that claim and you have nothing to back it up with. There was not a clear shot, there were guards before he could pull his gun and he bailed. Those are objective facts. Hence, your "conjecture" is incorrect while his point is supported with fact.
>>27691828
Sure, that's a valid opinion. I was more responding to anon's "he tried to kill Palentine" statement, since he never actually pulled a gun out.
>>27685226
>muh secret club
>i am the living embodiment of Travis
>fuck you mom
ISHYGDDT
>>27689837
It's undoubtedly the most boring movie I've watched. It's about bored normalfags being bored. The ending is actively insulting to the audience. It is not "robotcore".
>>27689562
>gets called on bullshit
>hurr durr, you and yur normie logic
>I dindu nuthin
Like talking to woman
He's what every school shooter should aspire to be: someone who actually kills the right people to better humanity.
>>27692356
Did you miss the part where I said both mine and his posts are conjecture? Holy fuck normies are dumb as shit.
>>27689519
>>27691828
>There is not a single shred of evidence in the movie to indicate that he has anything but the full intention of assassinating Palentine
>There is no evidence to support that claim and you have nothing to back it up with
Travis says multiple times throughout the movie that he wants to clean the scum off the streets. Palentine wouldn't qualify as lowlife street scum.
These are objective facts.
>tfw you will never live in NYC circa the early 1970s
>>27692610
Taxi Driver is in the mid 70s
>>27692706
Either way. I could have scored so much pussy back in the 70s. Hookers are a pain to find in NYC nowadays.
>>27687527
>tfw saw most of these before I was 14
>>27692770
just look on backpage
I would love to spend a day in 70s nyc though, something about it looked so exciting. It's crazy how much of the now gentrified parts of Manhattan were complete shitholes back then.
He held so much hatred against society because he thought everyone was out to get him, but in reality no one really gave a shit and he was just a paranoid creep. I sympathize with his loneliness but not with his worldview, humanity is a lot better than he (and most of the sad cunts here) gives it credit for.
>>27690771
But that movie was about legitimate insanity, not just depression.
>>27690771
That movie made me cry.
>>27691635
If there's one lesson to be learned from the movie it's don't put the pussy on the pedestal.
>>27684440
Dude that's just not even correct I hardly pay attention to this film because I find it extremely boring. But he starts out as a soldier, not really a beta. But unless you've been in the military or known people who have it's kind of difficult to know how isolated it is compared to the outside world it is there to protect. It's just a massive cultural and behavioral shift, and how he starts seeing the world as decaying and corrupt honestly makes a lot more sense, but it's kind of difficult to get that from the film because you have no idea of his background before the military, he could of came from a farm. A kid wouldn't be looking for new stories just snippets if he was from a remote location sort of the world he entered after the farm and military would be much different than what he heard. (also news traveled differently in that time too).
There really was no reason for him to go after that politician, like he just picked some random guy practically. The prostitute he was infatuated with was underage, that right there is enough to make people outright hate travis as a character obviously he's conflicted about saving her because when he takes her on a date it's to an adult film theatre that's a lot less innocent than going to a sundae shop for an icecream.
You can kind of tell at the ending when he says he's considered a hero for what he did killing those pimps it's like he's sold out and accepted society and it's short comings because it was using it's poor qualities he distastes in his favor and he knows it's bullshit.
>>27688012
>a little overrated
In the time it came out there would have been nothing like it. The violence, even the swearing, the anti hero character would have been mind blowing back then. Nothing in the mass media / entertainment was like that. Maybe its passe to you but it was a seminal, ground breaking film that influenced so much afterwards.
The hooker girl int he film is jodie foster
The three; actor director writer had a talk at the foreward of the screenplay published later, and referred to Travis as 'the masturbator.'
>>27692891
worse*
Fixed that for you
>>27687138
Detachment is such a depressing movie.
>>27692891
said by someone who lives in a comfy country I am sure, outside of about 6 specific countries the world is a mega shithole, ive lived in a handful of them and yeah, if you arent paranoid youll get slit while walking home
>>27690771
Such a good fucking film.
