Set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the Vietnam War, the film follows Travis Bickle (De Niro), a veteran and taxi driver, and his deteriorating mental state as he works nights in the city.

The 1976 cinematic masterpiece Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, is set in New York City. However, it isn't just "set" there; the city itself acts as a primary character in the film. Specifically, it depicts the gritty, decaying, and neon-soaked version of Manhattan in the mid-1970s, long before the "Disneyfication" of Times Square. The film captures the post-Vietnam War era of urban decay, focusing on the sleaze of 42nd Street, the isolation of the Upper East Side, and the steam-filled streets of Hell's Kitchen. The cinematography by Michael Chapman emphasizes the grime, rain, and harsh artificial lighting that reflects the deteriorating mental state of the protagonist, Travis Bickle. Scorsese used real locations to ground the film in a hyper-realistic, yet nightmarish, version of the city. To this day, the film remains one of the most significant historical records of what New York City felt like during its most financially and socially turbulent decade, making it a definitive "New York film" alongside others like The Warriors or Midnight Cowboy.