'Taxi Driver' provoked fierce controversy when it was released, running into censorship problems in America as some of the scenes of violence were described to be 'as gory as Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs' (Evening News '76). In addition there was outcry at a 13-year-old schoolgirl actress (Jodie Foster) co-starring as a prostitute.

It won Best Picture at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and received Academy Award nominations for Best Film, Best Actor (Robert De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster). Considered to be one of the most powerful films in motion picture history, 'Taxi Driver' is a film which is '...a savage piece of work - and hellishly brilliant' (Evening News '76).