4.  Taxi Driver

The chapter argues that with Taxi Driver (1976) De Niro is now in a position to do his very best work, bringing together all of the different things he has learned to this point, and becoming an active collaborator with screenwriter Paul Schrader and director Martin Scorsese in creating the character of Travis Bickle. Focusing on De Niro’s script annotations for particular scenes, it shows how, for example, he writes biographical monologues, thinks about different possibilities for performing the concessions girl scene, explores how Travis thinks about Betsy and the importance of physical gesture and posture in his scenes with her, how he should interact with Jodie Foster/Iris, his preparations for the killing spree, and the use of improvisation.