The Millionaire Taxi Driver
The Millionaire Tax Driver () is a Colombian comedy film released in December 1979 directed by Gustavo Nieto Roa and starring Carlos "El Gordo" Benjumea and Rosa Gloria Chagoyán.

Plot
José is a taxi driver in Bogotá. He drives an old 1946 taxi that is in poor condition and repeatedly breaks down. His mother and three younger brothers depend on José to support the family. Despite his struggles, José lives his life with joy and optimism. 

José becomes infatuated with a beautiful nightclub showgirl, Verónica, but she rejects him due to his economic condition. 

After robbing a bank, the gang of robbers becomes involved in a shutout with the police. Two of the robbers stop José's taxi at gunpoint and force him to assist with their escape. As the robbers run from the taxi, they leave behind two bags containing millions of pesos. José hides the money, spending it on gifts for his family, on a new taxi, on new clothes, and on impressing Verónica, who changes her mind about José. 

The police suspect José of being one of the robbers. José is also pursued by the robbers who beat him and then kidnap Verónica and demand the return the money. As José attempts to return the money, he is followed by the police. The police seize the money and arrest the robbers as well as José and Verónica. 

At the trial, José persuades the court that he is innocent. The actual robbers are sentenced to 30 years in prison. At the end of the trial, José learns that a lottery ticket he received from a dying relative is the winner.

Production information
The film was directed by Gustavo Nieto Roa. It was one of several film collaborations between Nieto Roa and Carlos Benjumea. Nieto Roa wrote the screenplay with Ignacio Ramírez. The theme music that recurs throughout the film was composed by Roberto Campuzano. Mario González was the cinematographer. The film was released on Christmas Day in 2007, and distributed by Centauro Films and Cine Colombia. The film had a running time of 98 minutes.

Themes and reception
Though presented as a comedy, Nieto Roa described the film as "a serious study on the middle class."

The film was enormously popular. For more than a decade, it was the highest grossing film in the history of Colombian cinema, and it remained in second place for another 30 years.

In his book "Cine y nación",  Simón Puerta Domínguez described it as "Nieto Roa's film that best represents the continuity of affirmative melodramatic cinema, as well as its transformation to the ambiguous and incredulous context of the time."

Cast
 Carlos "El Gordo" Benjumea, as José, el taxista
 Rosa Gloria Chagoyán, as Verónica, the night club star
 Jaqueline Henríquez
 Delfina Guido
 Chela del Río, as José's mother
 Jairo Soto, as the leader of the thieves
 Humberto Arango
 Mario Sastre

References

External links
 El taxista millonario on ok.ru

1979 films
1979 comedy films
1970s Spanish-language films
Colombian comedy films