Ranking De Niro's Performances In Scorsese Films

For sheer iconic status, Travis Bickle has to come near the top of the list. The mohawk, the army jacket, the aviators, the sliding gun - De Niro’s turn in Taxi Driver has done a lot for Hallowe’en costumes if nothing else. As it happens, it’s also one of Bobby’s best roles, and one which he plays with burning intensity, a hefty dollop of undeniable cool, and no small amount of sadness.

Ever the grafter, De Niro genuinely drove a taxi around New York City in preparation for the role, and something about the seedy side of the Big Apple clearly got under his skin. Travis’ dialogue entries are delivered as a monologue, and in the sheer detachment with which De Niro lists the city’s ills, you’re left with no doubt that something awful is about to happen. He plays Travis as though he’s on a mission from God, one of the righteous ones. Neither Scorsese nor De Niro judge Travis - instead he is a damaging man, doing damaging things, as though compelled to do so.

The Travis people remember is the Act Three Travis - in the shades, sporting the mohican, shooting down gangsters. But the real heartbreaking majesty in De Niro’s performance comes early on, when he tries to forge connections, to live a good life. Travis is a lonely man, a Vietnam veteran and an insomniac. He wants to meet a decent woman and settle down, but he simply doesn’t know how to conduct himself. And that, sadly, leads to hatred, and ultimately cataclysmic violence.