Although we tend to concentrate on some of the lesser known and lower budget vigilante 
films, there are of course many out there that were in fact made in Hollywood and produced with a decent chequebook. There are even some that won awards apart from best foreign language film or similar.
In 1976, Taxi Driver was released and it went on to be nominated for four Oscars and actually won a Palme D’Or. It is a notoriously famous film and quite possibly Robert de Niro’s finest hour.
Made shortly after the ignominious withdrawal from Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War, de Niro stars as Travis Bickle, a depressed young veteran living in Manhattan who is attempting to deal with his insomnia by driving taxis at night.
During one of his early brushes with normality he joins Senator Palantine’s volunteer team during his push for presidency, but this is only to try and meet Betsy (Cybil Shephard) who also works there. He persuades her to go out on a date but it ends badly when he takes her her to see a sex film – a ‘normal’ act for him but she is horrified and offended.
From this point he begins a descent into vigilantism, becoming demoralised by the petty crime he sees on the streets at night. His first act is to shoot a man robbing a store. One evening he encounters young prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster) trying to flee her pimp Sport (Harvey Keitel) but fails to help her. He resolves to try and help her quit prostitution and it here we enter the end of the film.
First he attempts to assassinate Senator Palantine but fails before he gets a chance – he then makes his way to the brothel where Iris works and an argument and then a violent shoot-out ensues between Bickle, Sport and the bouncer. He kills both but is wounded himself and attempts suicide but has run out of ammunition. He is arrested but becomes a hero and is released back to his old job.
The famous “you talking to me?” scene.
The final scenes are a happy ending of a type that some have speculated that they are part of Bickle’s imagination but there really doesn’t appear to be any evidence of that. The American Film Institute have ranked this film as the 52nd best American film ever made.