Taxi Driver

A Vietnam War veteran, working as a taxi driver on the night shift in New York City and constantly witnessing only violence and injustice around him, gradually becomes a bitter loner. He needs to release the emotions that have built up inside him. His encounter with a twelve-year-old prostitute finally pushes him over the edge. The young prostitute is played by Jodie Foster. 

The screenplay was written by renowned film critic Paul Schrader under strong influence from Dostoevsky's «Notes from Underground» and Sartre's «Nausea». «I tried to transfer the existentialist hero from European works to America. As you can see, in the American version, he is even less able to understand the causes of his problems», writes Schrader. 

The film was a resounding success, receiving 18 film awards, including four Oscars and the Palme d'Or. All participants in the project—Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Jodie Foster—became stars overnight. One maniac, after watching the film at least 15 times, was so impressed by both the film itself and young Jodie that he attempted to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan, seriously injuring him. To impress Jodie Foster. 

 Palme d'Or of the Cannes Film Festival.