"You talkin' to me?" For better or worse, deeply disturbed New York cab
driver Travis Bickle is the source of some of the cinema's most resonant
catchphrases. Screenwriter Paul Schrader's ultra-dark projection of himself and
dozens of other American movie ... moreanti-heroes was molded by director Martin Scorsese and a whippet-thin De Niro into an
urban avenger who is equal parts appalling, pathetic, imposing and, yes,
charismatic. This 1976 movie remains the ultimate city nightmare even as it
unspools in a Manhattan that is no longer recognizable today. (That's a good
thing, most people will tell you, although the people who disagree are kind of
interesting.) The riddle of Travis spilled over into the riddle of De Niro
himself, then an even more taciturn and reclusive real-life figure than the
interview-shy actor is today.
