It's so terrifying how real this feels. He's dealing with very relatable issues in the modern world like lack of purpose and loneliness, but he's responding to them in a completely unhinged and self sabotaging way. And especially on rewatch, we can see how corny he is. He's looking... pretty tough in the first few shots: getting in shape. Then at the gun range he's blinking and flinching as he fires, like most of us would. He's not an archetypal movie killer, he's a normal, weird, corny, loser guy. He flexes just to see his own arms, he practices drawing the guns in front of the mirror to see if he looks cool and intimidating, but his physical movements are quite effeminate in those shots, not really tough or scary. He's an fascinating and believable character because Scorsese and De Niro did such a good job at making him a nuanced, interesting, spooky, determined, violent, badass, corny, loser guy.show more

Nah. In this house, Travis Bickle is a hero, end of story!

He’s not supposed to be a corny loser. Regarding the blinking while shooting and physical fitness, he’s supposed to be a Vietnam combat veteran for starters(so if dinero can’t shoot, that’s his fault). And secondly he’s kind of a stud. He picks up that really hot lady at the campaign office with ease.

Good post. He is pretty relatable even when it’s extreme what he’s doing or he completely lacks the basics skills in how to connect with people. When it gets down to it, he is a weirdo outsider whose head has been shot to bits. And a lot of people see themselves in that side of him.

Well - technically he's a Vietnam vet with PTSD & traumatic injuries & the film is really a film about veterans left to rot when they got home unable to cope with reality. How it relates to today's society....

Travis is a former Marine who served in Vietnam.

His body language acting in this movie is on another level. You can just feel the cringe eminating out of his body every time he moves, it's honestly amazing.

Never really got how the guy that pimps out little girls is a victim in the movie. It just seems like a Hollywood message to portray people that hate corruption as mentally ill.

One cab. One city. One man coming apart.

He's supposed to be former Marine who served in Vietnam. Later in the movie he is shown to be extremely violent. You interpretation seems to be beased on the flaws of Robert De Niro (e.g. blinking when firing).

Hard disagree. Travis is not a loser, nor is he corny. He serves as righteousness and truth. He is alienated in a world of degeneracy. You should look UP to him, not down. You sound very young, I'm guessing in your 20s.

Loser that stopped sex traffickers who exploit underage girls. Travis Bickle is a hero.

yeah its truly one of the greatest films ever made just for how realistic and relatable travis is. any isolated young man would see himself in him.

His body looks awesome

I'm not sure after military training &a tour of Vietnam left him flinching at a gun. I believe it is his inner rage and imagination of what's to come - what he'll be saying, what he'll be doing: the visual impact of what he will soon see, that fires out of him, onto his face.

Good tweet. It's also fitting that the hypocrite who voiceovers about no more poisons in his body comes back from trying to kill the puppet Palantine and downs speed with beer, before heading off to murder pimps and gangsters. Mister Health indeed!

why is he a loser? he is working hard to become who he wants to be and do what he wants to do

Is it's also a film about "purpose", and how young men in particular need a purpose in life, and how they can sadly find it in very dangerous places if they are marginalised & left in isolation.

It's the truest thing that the world is now full of Travis Bickles. There's a few here in the comments

His ripped arm, over the open flame, though? That, for me, is one transition moment from alienated loser to unhinged threat (plus his new Mohican). It reminds me of incels & lonely young men getting radicalised by neo Nazis online.

GOAT stuff no other way to say it

Wasn't he a Vietnam War combat veteran? I took it as he went down the path of vigilante violence because he's a trained, experienced soldier that's come home from the war with nothing to do and no one to care about, witnessing truly ugly people doing truly ugly things.

When boxers use mirrors for shadow boxing are they also checking to see how intimidating they look you faggot

What bugs me is that all the exercise and eating healthy should have dramatically improve his mental health. After a month he would be like "you know, I don't fell like killing anymore, I'm going to the park"

What are you talking about

أفضل فلم شاهدته حتى أنك تعتقد تلك الفترة افضل بكثير من هذا الزمن

Final score: T. Bickle - 4 Societal Victims - 0

Travis rules! I can’t explain what i feel the first time i see this masterpiece!

The blinking when firing thing is just de niro not being good at shooting, travis is a vietnam vet

Today, he would be wearing a red baseball cap.

@vinnie_paz This is the kinda movie that propagandized people to copycat and kill Charlie Kirk, and the Luigi situation.

My favourite bit is when he breaks his TV.

É um estudo de personagem fascinante! Criar e desenvolve-lo.

I wouldn't say a loser, more like a guy whose had enough and loses himself in the process of becoming a martyr.

TL:DR - Literally me