Taxi Driver
Not recommended. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
A lonely cab driver in New York City gets angrier and sicker in his mind, and it ends in a terrible shooting. This movie is very dark and is not for kids or teens. Lumen does not recommend it for adults either. The craft is among the best of its decade, and that is not the question here. The film spends two hours inside a disturbed man's hatred, shows a child held in prostitution, and ends with his killings praised. Adults who watch it for study should know all of that going in.
For parents
Not for children or teens. Common Sense Media says 17 and up and calls it unquestionably not for kids. Lumen goes further and does not recommend it. If an older teen meets it in a film class or at a friend's house, talk about these points. Travis is lonely and sick, and no one notices. What would real help have looked like? He decides he may kill people he judges to be filth. Why is that wrong even when the victims are wicked men? The papers call him a hero. Is he one? The girl is a victim and never to blame. The men who buy and sell her do grave evil. And be clear that pornography feeds his isolation.