Taxi Driver is a 1976 English-language Crime Drama motion picture written by Paul Schrader and directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips under the banner of Bill/Phillips Productions in collaboration with Italo/Judeo Productions. Set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the Vietnam War, the film tells the story of a lonely veteran working as a taxi driver, who descends into insanity as he plots to assassinate both the presidential candidate for whom the woman he is infatuated with works, and the pimp of an underage prostitute he befriends. Taxi driver stars Robert De Niro in the lead role along with an ensemble cast including Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle and Cybill Shepherd. The music was composed by Bernard Herrmann. Cinematography was done by Michael Chapman and editing by Marcia Lucas, Tom Rolf and Melvin Shapiro. The motion picture has a running time of 113 minutes. It was released on 8th February 1976 and it received positive reviews from critics when it was released and became successful at box office. Taxi Driver was made on a budget of $1 million and it was a super hit at box office gross of $28 million. Distribution rights for the motion picture were acquired by Columbia Pictures.