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Didn't know that either. I'm still not sure why Travis wanted to kill the candidate, but its's that kind of confusion that I guess made me really enjoy the movie.
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Watch it a few more times. It's a nuanced film, that goes beyond good and bad characters.
This is pretty much from Schrader's mouth-the movie is inspired by the John Ford western The Searchers. Travis latches onto two women. One is successful and does campaign management. He decides to murder the "father" figure, the campaign manager, but fails. So he regroups, and latches onto a young prostitute. The prostitute is oppressed by her own father figure. This time, Travis is successful, and murders several people. Society is uninterested that something is wrong with Travis, and rewards him for killing the right father. In the end, the Cybil character even wants to get back with him.
While it did inspire a copycat on Reagan, it certainly shouldn't be blamed.
It's a critique on American society, and a personal film about isolation and loneliness. It's a brilliant film.