In the dark and chaotic New York City of the 1970s, a Vietnam War veteran named Travis Bickle struggles to find his purpose in life. Isolated and consumed by loneliness, he becomes a nighttime taxi driver, navigating the streets of a city filled with despair, violence, and depravity. As he observes the moral decay around him, Travis begins to question his own existence and the impact of society on his mind.
The story complicates when Travis becomes obsessed with a young girl named Iris, a 12-year-old prostitute trapped in a spiral of exploitation. Desiring to save her from her tragic situation, his actions lead him to the brink of madness, as his thinking darkens and his sense of justice transforms into a violent objective. Through his conviction that some must be eliminated to restore order, Travis begins to plan an act of vengeance that will change his life forever.
With bold direction and memorable performances, the film ventures into deep psychological territories, exploring themes of alienation, violence, and the disquiet of an individual desperately seeking a sense of belonging in a world that feels foreign to him. As the plot unfolds, Travis's journey becomes a dark reflection of a man's path to his own downfall, confronting him with the complexities of the human soul and the brutality of urban reality.