11 Brilliantly Controversial Martin Scorsese Moments

1. Taxi Driver - The Ending

1976's Taxi Driver was one of the most shocking films of its time. Centered on the travails of the delusional Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), the film looks centers on a blue-collar man working in New York amidst the overwhelming forces of business. A political campaign, the sex trade, Bickle becomes a silent observer of it all from the seat of his cab. Most of all, he is privy to examples of thoughtless violence, so much so that Bickle begins to believe that a violent act may be his only way to stand out. This becomes true in surprising fashion. Upon being made aware of the abuse being levied against a young prostitute (Jodie Foster), Bickle, almost spontaneously, pulls out his gun, originally intended for a political assassination, and turns its brute power against her pimp's entire organization. What ensues is bloodbath which Bickle barely survives. Rather than being arrested for a series of unprovoked homicides, Bickle becomes a local hero, a man who went beyond the restrictions of the broken justice system to clear the streets of evil men - all through a selfless act of multiple manslaughter. At face value, Taxi Driver condones a violent act as a true act of heroism. Somewhat tinted with the perspective of the ending Vietnam conflict, Scorsese examines violence as a multifaceted issue within the human condition in lieu of simple condemnation. By looking at violence as a gray area, he leaves room for Travis Bickle to kill the pimp and his employees because they have committed worse atrocities against more helpless people. Earlier, Bickle refrains from killing a famous politician, not because he fears consequences, but because it would stand as a violent act without any meaning or positive outcome. While violence is to be abhorred in all of its forms, Scorsese offers this differing view during a cynical age as a means of asking questions about who ultimately causes people the most pain. Easily his most controversial artistic point, Bickle's action at the end of Taxi Driver prove that there is no subject to taboo for Martin Scorsese to analyze with intelligence and grace. Which is your favourite controversial Martin Scorsese movie moment? Share your picks below in the comments thread.