Martin Scorsese has described three films from different stages of his career as an “unofficial trilogy”: *Taxi Driver*, *Raging Bull* and *The King of Comedy*. Although their stories are not directly connected, he sees them as linked by their focus on alienated, unstable men and the destructive effects of obsession, ambition and loneliness.

The films were released in 1976, 1980 and 1982, and all featured Robert De Niro in central roles. Scorsese said he was “just obsessed” with the ideas that ran through them, while noting that *The King of Comedy* completed a thematic progression begun by Travis Bickle in *Taxi Driver* and Jake LaMotta in *Raging Bull*.