5 Innocent Movies That Became Toxic
2. Taxi Driver
More often than not, celebrity crushes are harmless. In the case of John Hinkley Jr, however, this was not the case.
After watching Martin Scorsese's 1976 film, Taxi Driver, Hinkley became infatuated with Jodie Foster. He stalked the young actress, following her across the country even after she rejected his advances.
Hinkley figured that in order to date a celebrity, he'd have to become one himself. Taking inspiration from Taxi Driver's lead character, Travis Bickle, he decided to assassinate the President. In one scene in Taxi Driver, Bickle tries and fails to kill a politician named Charles Palantine. Surely this would get Jodie Foster to notice him, right?
On 30 March 1981, Hinkley carried out his plan, and managed to shoot President Ronald Reagan. Though the President survived, Hinkley still cited Taxi Driver as his motivation to kill him. Clearly, he misread the film.