Martin Scorsese’s 1976 neo-noir Taxi Driver is now available to stream free in the United States on Pluto TV. The article highlights the film’s enduring influence on cinema and recalls Quentin Tarantino’s view that it may be the greatest first-person character study ever made.

Taxi Driver was the second major collaboration between Scorsese and Robert De Niro, and was adapted from a script by Paul Schrader. Its violent subject matter and portrayal of race caused tensions with the studio during production; Tarantino has also discussed its development and singled out a scene involving a teenage prostitute as the point at which the film becomes especially compelling.