Editing Taxi Driver (section)

== Controversies ==
=== Casting of Jodie Foster ===
Some critics showed concern over 12-year-old Foster's presence during the climactic shoot-out.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/04/jodie-foster-taxi-driver-robert-de-niro-martin-scorsese/amp|title=Jodie Foster recalls working with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in Taxi Driver as a Kid|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|author-first1=Julie|author-last1=Miller|date=April 7, 2016 |access-date=November 17, 2020|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116214823/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/04/jodie-foster-taxi-driver-robert-de-niro-martin-scorsese/amp|url-status=live}}</ref> Foster said that she was present during the setup and staging of the special effects used during the scene; the entire process was explained and demonstrated for her, step by step. Moreover, Foster said that she was fascinated and entertained by the behind-the-scenes preparation that went into the scene.

In addition, before being given the part, Foster was subjected to [[psychological testing]], attending sessions with a [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] psychiatrist, to ensure that she would not be emotionally scarred by her role, in accordance with [[California Labor and Workforce Development Agency|California Labor Board]] requirements monitoring children's welfare on film sets.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/jodie-foster-details-how-uncomfortable-it-was-playing-a-prostitute-aged-12-in-taxi-driver-a7040016.html |title=Jodie Foster details how 'uncomfortable' it was playing a prostitute aged 12 in Taxi Driver |author-first1=Christopher|author-last1=Hooton|website=[[The Independent]] |date=May 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226052352/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/jodie-foster-details-how-uncomfortable-it-was-playing-a-prostitute-aged-12-in-taxi-driver-a7040016.html|archive-date=February 26, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="keyser">{{Cite book |title=Martin Scorsese |last=Keyser |first=Les |year= 1992|isbn=0-8057-9315-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/martinscorsese0000keys |page=94|publisher=Twayne }}</ref>

Additional concerns surrounding Foster's age focused on the role that she played as Iris, a prostitute. Years later, she confessed how uncomfortable the treatment of her character was on set. Scorsese did not know how to approach different scenes with the actress. The director relied on Robert De Niro to deliver his directions to the young actress. Foster often expressed how De Niro, in that moment, became a mentor to her, stating that her acting career was highly influenced by the actor's advice during the filming of ''Taxi Driver''.<ref>{{Cite interview |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/forty-years-after-taxi-driver-and-her-first-oscar-nomination-jodie-foster-recalls-the-making-of-a-classic |title=Forty Years After "Taxi Driver," Jodie Foster Recalls the Making of a Classic |date=September 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035125/https://www.wmagazine.com/story/forty-years-after-taxi-driver-and-her-first-oscar-nomination-jodie-foster-recalls-the-making-of-a-classic|archive-date=February 16, 2019|url-status=live|interviewer-first1=Lynn|interviewer-last1=Hirschberg|author-last1=Foster|author-first1=Jodie|website=W}}</ref>

=== John Hinckley Jr. ===
''Taxi Driver'' formed part of the delusional fantasy of [[John Hinckley Jr.]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=Scorsese: a journey through the American psyche |year=2005 |isbn=0-85965-355-2 |last1=Woods |first1=Paul A. |publisher=Plexus }}</ref> that triggered his [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|attempted assassination]] of President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1981, an act for which he was found [[Insanity defense|not guilty by reason of insanity]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/22/hinckley-found-not-guilty-insane/939fafa6-9441-4579-bb04-39da0d287e2d/ |title=Hinckley Found Not Guilty, Insane |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405135856/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/22/hinckley-found-not-guilty-insane/939fafa6-9441-4579-bb04-39da0d287e2d/|archive-date=April 5, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Hinckley stated that his actions were an attempt to impress Foster, on whom Hinckley was fixated, by mimicking Travis's [[Mohawk hairstyle|mohawked]] appearance at the Palantine rally. His attorney concluded his defense by playing the movie for the jury.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/05/29/hinckley-jury-watch-taxi-driver-film/783cde2f-1eea-4ec5-a36f-5ccf5d2a290f/?noredirect=on |title=Hinckley, Jury Watch 'Taxi Driver' Film |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114035634/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/05/29/hinckley-jury-watch-taxi-driver-film/783cde2f-1eea-4ec5-a36f-5ccf5d2a290f/?noredirect=on |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theexpertinstitute.com/the-trial-of-john-hinckley-jr-and-its-impact-on-expert-testimony/ |title=The Trial of John Hinckley Jr. and Its Impact on Expert Testimony |newspaper=Expert Institute |date=August 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215215828/https://www.theexpertinstitute.com/the-trial-of-john-hinckley-jr-and-its-impact-on-expert-testimony/|archive-date=February 15, 2019|url-status=live|last1=j. d |first1=Anjelica Cappellino }}</ref> When Scorsese heard about Hinckley's motivation behind his assassination attempt, he briefly considered quitting filmmaking as the association brought a negative perception of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/taxi-driver-remains-one-of-the-best-and-most-troubling-1798265454 |title=Taxi Driver remains one of the best (and most troubling) of Palme winners |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=January 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035253/https://film.avclub.com/taxi-driver-remains-one-of-the-best-and-most-troubling-1798265454|archive-date=February 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== MPAA rating ===
The climactic shootout was considered intensely graphic by some critics, who considered giving the film an [[X rating]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Taxi Driver |last=Taubin |first=Amy |date=March 28, 2000 |publisher=British Film Institute |isbn=0-85170-393-3 }}</ref> The film was booed at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] for its graphic violence.<ref>{{cite web|title=At Cannes, Le Booing Isn't Just Reserved for Bad Films|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/movies/cannes-film-festival-2017-boos-bad-films.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 17, 2017|access-date=January 6, 2020|archive-date=December 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206082821/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/movies/cannes-film-festival-2017-boos-bad-films.html|url-status=live}}</ref> To obtain an [[R rating (Motion Picture Association of America)|R rating]], Scorsese had the [[Color motion picture film|colors desaturated]], making the brightly colored blood less prominent. In subsequent interviews, Scorsese commented that he was pleased by the color change, and considered it an improvement on the original scene.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/taxi-driver-oral-history-de-881032 |title='Taxi Driver' Oral History: De Niro, Scorsese, Foster, Schrader Spill All on 40th Anniversary |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=April 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130022513/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/taxi-driver-oral-history-de-881032|archive-date=November 30, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in the special-edition [[DVD-Video|DVD]], Michael Chapman, the film's cinematographer, expresses regret about the decision and the fact that no print with the unmuted colors exists anymore, as the originals have since deteriorated.