I don't get why he tries to kill Palantine, is it because he associates him with Betsy, the girl who dumped him, and he thinnks of that as a way of revenge in an obsessive/deranged way?

Your theory is probably correct, in the simplest of terms. If you talked to whoever wrote the movie, you might get another answer, but in my opinion it boils down to what you said.

You talkin' to me??


I think Travis (Robert DeNiro) tried to kill the politician because he saw him as controlling Cybill Shepard, just as he killed Harvey Keitel because he "controlled" Jodie Foster. Travis saw his "mission" as that of "freeing" these women.

I agree with SC. I think he was trying to free those girls. Man talk about a dark movie though

Another thing that didn't make sense in that movie is that when he went and killed the pimps and john wouldn't one of the secret servicemen see his picture in the newspaper and know that, that was the man that tried to assainate Palantine.

Good point Josh, I never thought about that.
But even if they did recognise him what can they do about it? Whos to say what his intentions were on that day. He wasnt actually caught armed or anything so I think no charges could be brought against travis.

What do you mean? If someone was walking towards someone especially someone that is famous like a politician and they have they're hand in they're jacket and they look the way Travis did I think they would know that he had a gun in his jacket. And they could charge Travis with intent of murder because later that night he killed three people with a gun.

Hm still no proof though.

"..you can get a lot farther with nice words and a gun, than you can go with nice words." (Al Capone in Untouchables)

Actually that was one comment Al Capone really did make to the press.

Untouchables would have rocked had they not have had that gay music and didnt have costner or that nerdy banker(AT LEAST HE DIED!)

I agree. Costner was a joke in that movie.

I didn't know Capone really said that...thanx.

Speaking of Big Al's quotes, my favorite is from a movie starring Rod Steiger (as Capone). Capone was down in Florida when the St. Valentine's Day massacre was taking place, and he received a telephone call telling him that the "hit" went off without any problems. He started to laugh, and one of his houseguests asked him if he got good news (on the phone). Capone replied that it was his stockbroker calling, and that he had just made a "killing on the market".

Well SC, it seems that Big Al has a very nice sense of humour.

I found shepherd to be very cold w/ Travis. Also, he was paranoid so killing the politician would seem legitimate.