The Big Picture
- Taxi Driver, with its iconic performances and fearless exploration of society's dark corners, played a role in John Hinckley Jr. developing a disturbing obsession.
- Hinckley's fixation on Jodie Foster, his stalking behavior, and his declaration that he would do anything for her ultimately contributed to his attempt to assassinate President Reagan.
- Hinckley's release from custody in 2016 sparked controversy, raising questions about the role of art in influencing violent actions and the criteria for evaluating sanity.
Since its release in 1976, Taxi Driver has remained bold in its unflinching exploration of some of the more depraved corners of society and psychology. With an iconic performance by Robert De Niro, unsettling yet truthful writing by Paul Schraeder, and fearless directing by Martin Scorsese, few films hold a candle to what Quentin Tarantino claimed "may be the greatest first-person character study ever committed to film." As compelling as he is deranged, De Niro's Travis Bickle established a new kind of template for cinematic antiheroes, affirming the notion that audiences don't have to like a character so long as they like watching him. While Taxi Driver is notable for inspiring generations of filmmakers and storytellers with its singular protagonist and lurid approach to first-person storytelling, its capacity to inspire in a much darker sense came to light through events before and on March 30, 1981. When John Hinckley Jr., a disturbed 25-year-old man with a penchant for stalking, committed an infamous and heinous act against a sitting President, the world was stunned to ultimately learn that Taxi Driver was a reference point for his crimes.
John Hinckley Jr. Was Obsessed With 'Taxi Driver'
Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, John Hinckley Jr.'s early life wasn't marked by anything strikingly unusual or troubling. After graduating from high school in 1973 and briefly attending Texas Tech University, he began wandering around various parts of the country with hopes of pursuing a music career. It was around this time that he saw Taxi Driver. Taken by the tale of a loner cabbie's descent into madness and an increasing propensity for vigilantism, Hinckley himself began undergoing a dangerous decompensation into delusion and anti-social behavior.
Hinckley began to dress in a manner like Travis Bickle and regularly make entries in a diary, and his social affiliations became especially concerning as he was alleged to rub elbows with extremist organizations like neo-Nazis. Not only was he obsessed with the film itself and its lead character, but more specifically he'd set his sights on actress Jodie Foster, then a rising star who'd secured an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Taxi Driver. As Hinckley's fixation grew and his mental health declined, he began taking medication and purchased a firearm, confiding to his sister that his nervous system was "shot."
RELATED: Robert De Niro Keeps Trying (and Failing) To Make a 'Taxi Driver' Sequel
John Hinckley Jr. Stalked Jodie Foster After Seeing 'Taxi Driver'
In 1980, four years after appearing in Taxi Driver, Jodie Foster was attending Yale University. Having stepped away from the spotlight, the 18-year-old desired a life of normalcy, a desire that would swiftly be jeopardized when she began receiving anonymous letters from John Hinckley Jr. Expressing lovelorn sentiments and overall creepy vibes, he cryptically revealed himself to be "the person that's been leaving notes in your box for two days." After turning the letters over to Yale's Dean, Hinckley's unwanted correspondence ultimately escalated and grew more troubling. According to The Independent, he recorded himself saying, "Jodie is the only thing that matters now. Anything I might do in 1981 would be solely for Jodie Foster's sake."
Though no one could've known for certain, Hinckley's disturbing and declarative statements toward the young actress were a rhetorical prelude that would soon transform into real-world violence. In a final letter that never made it to Foster, Hinckley wrote in March 1981, "Jodie, I would abandon this idea of getting Reagan in a second if I could only win your heart and live out the rest of my life with you, whether it be in total obscurity or whatever. I will admit to you that the reason I’m going ahead with this attempt now is because I just cannot wait any longer to impress you. I’ve got to do something now to make you understand in no uncertain terms that I am doing all of this for your sake."
John Hinckley Jr. Attempted to Assassinate President Ronald Reagan
The same day he penned his final and unsent letter intended for Jodie Foster, John Hinckley Jr. was in Washington D.C. After leaving his hotel room, he made his way to the Washington Hilton Hotel where President Ronald Reagan was scheduled to deliver a speech. As the President emerged into public view, Hinckley fired six shots, wounding Reagan and press secretary James Brady (he'd succumb to his injuries many years later), police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy. After being taken to the ground, Hinckley was in police custody and Reagan was on his way to George Washington University Hospital. The President would later find out he'd narrowly avoided death.
In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, investigations began and a media frenzy ensued. Foster, shocked to learn that the attempt was carried out by the man who'd been stalking her, found herself a target of relentless reporters and journalists. She'd later tell Esquire, "They scooped up headlines and swarmed through the campus like a cavalry invasion. I couldn't protect myself from being trampled."
For Hinckley's part, he'd tell investigators that he'd seen Taxi Driver up to 18 times. As he stood on trial more than a year later, his defense team submitted the film itself for evidence, claiming that it contributed to Hinckley's actions and that he committed his crimes while in a psychotic state. Testifying in Hinckley's favor, psychiatrists further maintained that his obsession with Jodie Foster and her character in the film led to his attack on Reagan. Aside from De Niro's Travis Bickle attempting to assassinate a politician (the most glaring similarity between the character and Hinckley, they cited other behavioral consistencies like the clothes they wore to the alcohol they drank to their tendency to play with guns while watching television. Ultimately, the defense team theorized that, as was the case with Travis Bickle, Hinckley hoped to garner praise and admiration from the public through his violent actions.
John Hinckley Jr. Was Released From Custody in 2016
John Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity and transferred to the custody of a mental hospital. The verdict became a topic of contention among critics and supporters alike, calling into question the criteria by which a defendant is evaluated regarding sanity or lack thereof. Just as contentious, if not more so, would be the decision to grant him freedom when Hinckley was released from Saint Elizabeth's Hospital after 35 years. According to NPR, on the day of his release in 2016, Hinckley tweeted, "After 41 years 2 months and 15 days, FREEDOM AT LAST!!!" Taking up residence with his elderly mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, Hinckley's conditions of release included thorough, intense monitoring by authorities and mandated treatment via appointments with healthcare professionals. With his newfound freedom, he returned to his musical aspirations and announced plans to release a handful of original songs. "What a long strange trip it has been," he posted on June 1. "Now it's time to rock and roll."
Regardless of the outcome of Hinckley's trial, or the decision to release him 35 years later, his connection to Martin Scorsese's 1976 film is one of history's stranger and darker examples of life imitating art. While a film can't be held criminally culpable for the actions of an individual, the debate surrounding the extent to which a piece of art or entertainment can indirectly influence destructive actions committed by disturbed people is unlikely to ever arrive at a definitive or general conclusion. For better or worse, however, much like Taxi Driver itself, the case of John Hinckley Jr. confounds those who engage with it, posing troubling and multifaceted questions without offering little to no recourse in terms of exactly what makes that kind of anti-social behavior tick.
