]Taxi Driverhas been acknowledged as consciously influenced by John Ford""sThe Searchers (1956)- he story of another angry war veteran and social outcast who becomes obsessed during a search and rescue of his young niece from a long-haired Comanche chief named Scar.The film""s title was a vague reference toGulliver""s Travels(Jonathan Swift""s satirical 1726 tale of Lemuel Gulliver""s fanciful journey into strange, unknown worlds of Lilliputians, Brobdingnags, Houyhnhnms, and Laputians).Saito: My officers will direct them.Your officers will work beside hem.Clipton: That""s for Colonel Nicholson to decide.As he pointed out, it""s against the rules.Saito: Do not speak to me of rules.This is war.This is not a game of cricket.He""s mad, your Colonel.Quite mad.Clipton is allowed five minutes in the oven to speak with Nicholson during his severe punishment.The imprisoned, highly-principled commander also believes that Saito is mad.In parallel fashion, he refuses to give in:Nicholson: That man""s [Saito] the worst commanding officer I""ve ever come across.Doesn""t matter now.Humans destroyed each other...But we are family.Wonder if hey""re really all gone." Maurice assumed that humans had died out two years ago: "Ten winters now.Last two - no sign of them.They must be gone."The next day after an early-morning fishing expedition, two young apes Blue Eyes and his male friend Ash (Doc Shaw), walked along a forest trail and were stunned to come across a human hiker (later identified as Carver (Kirk Acevedo)) - who panicked, pulled out a pistol and anxiously fired on them, injuring and wounding Ash.) (mockingly) You killed my husband, Sam.Be kind to me.He hurriedly comforts her and brushes her off - not wanting anything more to do with her.He dismisses her out the door and gives her a half-hearted promise to see her later.[Despite their obvious past, he is now sickened by the widowed woman (dressed to resemble the black, lead falcon revealed at the end).