Midnight Cowboy (1969)

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A naive male prostitute and his sickly friend struggle to survive on the streets of New York City. (imdb)

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Directed By: John Schlesinger

Written By: Waldo Salt, James Leo Herlihy

Starring: M. Emmet Walsh, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Bob Balaban, Brenda Vaccaro, Barnard Hughes, John McGiver, Sylvia Miles, Jennifer Salt, Ruth White, Gilman Rankin, T. Tom Marlow

Genre: Drama

Country: USA

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Midnight Cowboy belongs to 103 collections

1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 239 stars)

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9. Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (public: Ross - 36 stars)

10. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 32 stars)

11. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)

12. National Film Registry (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 31 stars)

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14. AFI 100 (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 27 stars)

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17. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)

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All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
6	Alex Watkins	4 _70th
Roger Ebert called this "a great movie trapped inside a good one." I think it's an amazing movie trapped inside a great one. Yes, there are flaws - notably, the superfluous party and fantasy sequence, as well as the unnecessarily ambiguous flashbacks - but when this movie is at its best, depicting the sad, desolate lives of Buck and Rizzo as they struggle to make ends meet, it penetrates like few other movies. Fantastic.
4	INDYATMN	93 _93rd
More than a moving story of an unlikely yet believable friendship, the film pulls off a reasonable indictment of media, advertising, the promises they make, and their contributions to defining society. Ironically, the film traffics in its own culture-defining imagery as it fully embraces the stereotypes that came with a mostly rotted, early-70s Big Apple, but the NYC backdrop becomes as vividly realized a character as its 2 deeply memorable protagonists- which is really saying something.
3	MartinTeller	83 _77th
A little (or a lot) dated at times, and frankly I think Hoffman's performance borders on ridiculous. Some of the flashbacks/fantasies were unusual little surprises, but a few of them were kind of retarded. Still, the film does have a way of getting under your skin. The ending reminded me a bit of El Norte.
3	Moribunny	68 _70th
Pretty well done, although I think this movie is lauded more for its impact within the historical context of its release than for its depth or artistic merit.
3	Dorkovsky	4 _40th
Like Easy Rider, this is a landmark film that helped revolutionize 70's cinema. There's no denying that. Unfortunately (also like Easy Rider) it is too dated to be truly enjoyable, just somewhat as it captures the era perfectly. Hoffman was great.
3	PeaceAnarchy	90 _94th
Raw, dirty and with two magnificent performances.
2	Pickpocket	9 _93rd
Fantastic soundtrack, fantastic acting and a daring story to tell. It's also nicely paced. Some of the editing and flashbacks were a bit strange but overall it didn't take me out of the movie and it ended up adding to the aesthetics of the film. Worthy best picture winner. Also, I haven't seen True Grit but there is just no way John Wayne is ever out acting Dustin Hoffman.
2	TheDiceman	90 _99th
A great story beautifully filmed.Voight and especially Hoffman play the parts of their lives.An essential film for film buffs.
2	TedDedon	94 _92nd
Midnight Cowboy is a flawed movie. There are scenes in the movie that are absolutely perplexing and feel as if they shouldn't be there at all. But when it's at its best, it's an absolutely mind-blowing experience that is at such a high level of quality that you feel as if it was of this level the whole way through it could be considered the best movie ever made.
2	miss jesus	99 _99th
In the novel this was based on, Joe and Rico were lovers. The abandonment of that key element for the adaptation changes the entire tone of the story; what's more, it makes the film rely much more heavily on the audience seeing Joe Buck as a great fool and not just a desperate hustler. Despite that, the film succeeds in every way. The performances are just great, the production design says so much from scene to scene, and the John Barry soundtrack is virtually untouchable. Excellent.
2	Enthusiast	65 _35th
Terrific individual performances and chemistry despite a dearth of meaningful characterization and an oddly slight, needlessly sentimentalist script. Might also be one of the least visually impressive NYC films I've seen, with all of the city's harsh concrete realities muted and softened. Certainly worth viewing, but quite far from the masterpiece you may be expecting.
2	dwyer	60 _15th
I can see why it's something that sticks in people's brains. The performances by Hoffman and Voigt are strong. The cinematography is gritty, grimy, dark, bright, and warm, a look I associate with the great films of the 1970s. It looks like a film that should be on the AFI list. But man, the material just isn't good enough.
2	woodoo	80 _44th
Intensely uncomfortable movie that set the stage for a decade full of 'em.
2	eCitizen	70 _70th
Jon Voight is great playing a happy go lucky dimwit who runs away from his dish washing job to become a Gigolo in New York City. He quickly manages to go broke. Dustin Hoffman is convincing as the crippled and sick homeless con artist who becomes his only friend. Together they struggle to survive. It was shocking material and wonderful music for 1969. Some of the flashbacks were ineffective. By the end you can't help but root for this dumb hick and his unlikely partner in crime.
1	Filligan	93 _87th
Depressing almost to the point of overwhelming, but there's that glimmer of hope the film dances in front you and forces you to keep watching. Dustin Hoffman is really great in this.
1	Ytadel	7 _83rd
A fascinating, utterly non-feel-good New York City movie. Props have to go to Dustin Hoffman for creating a character so slimy and weasely you feel downright unwell when he's onscreen.
1	citysqwirl	83 _77th
Not a feel-good flick, but a very realistic portrayal of the difficulties NYC can heap upon you if you arrive here with unrealistic dreams. Plus the Warhol Factory scenes are wonderful captures of a past era.
1	Nathan S	4 _74th
Though the characters may appear terribly stereotypical on the surface, this is in fact an incredibly endearing buddy flick, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. They're two lonely oddities with pasts they'd rather forget and ambitions they can't achieve. It's also strangely quirky and hallucinatory.
1	Farzan	86 _84th
Two great performances, but Dustin Hoffman really stands out. An incredible performance. This film is very sad and sometimes even surreal, flawed, yet I didn't seem to care that much. Terrific film.
1	Spunkie	70 _84th
Two gigantic performances by Voight and Hoffman. But the alienating editing of sixties debalances the movie somehow. Estrangement and overhumanization doesn't mix in this well known movie. Moderate dissapointment on my side.
1	KasperL	90 _97th
If you're unsure why Dustin Hoffman is generally considered a great actor, look no further than 'Midnight Cowboy'.
1	Luna6ix	77 _61st
there's a great plot here, voight and the hoff bust some serious chops here in their roles, and i'd say that this movie lives up to it's reputation if it weren't for that retarded ending.
1	XakkMaster	83 _71st
Compared to previous Best Picture winners, this must have been absolutely shocking when it came out. Goodbye Hays Code, hello psychedelia, sex, and violence! Voight and Hoffman are both terrific in their roles. It's tremendously gritty and sad.
1	chemical404	84 _97th
If you wanna talk about great movies you should remember Midnight Cowboy. It's coming out of psychedelic 60's when freedom, expression and loneliness were both the soil for creative mind and the fruit it bears. Like many other filmmakers of the era Schlesinger takes a fresh look at art of cinema, but retains the quality and professionalism of classic Hollywood. Everything from the acting to editing is just great. Good example of succesful symbiosis of style and substance.
1	begoniabol	80 _79th
Hoffman is great and I like the lonely feel to this movie. Especially the ending with Voight
1	oldgoat	78 _78th
Ebert hit this review on the head and I recommend going to read his. Good performances, dated aspects, poor editing by today's standards but a really solid core. I disagree that any individual scene but the warhol party was a waste of time though.
1	Prismatic	87 _78th
The chemistry between Voight and Hoffman is so good that you don't tend to mind when Schlesinger skewers over into psychodelic overindulgence.
1	Rufam	75 _72nd
"Midnight Cowboy" may be slightly dated, but John Schlesinger's innovative visuals and a memorable protagonist duo make it worthwhile all the same. Voight and Hoffman are terrific in different ways, while the bleak tone took me aback and the hallucinatory nature of some scenes surprised me (in a good way). The soundtrack is cool and although I found the whole experience kinda depressing, I was constantly invested in these characters and their story.
1	kingofjew	84 _94th
A story about a young guy from Texas coming to new york to be a gigolo, finding out that the big city lights aren't as bright as they seem. The chemistry between voight en Hoffman is what makes this movie work. Top notch acting, mostly from Hoffman, and a memorable soundtrack makes for a must see for anyone who is fan of the two. Tho perhaps a bit depressing.
1	Noblet	81 _73rd
There are a lot of strange elements that don't always work, but the relationship at the heart of the film is really well done. Voight and Hoffman are excellent.
1	thegreyfox	75 _62nd
(soon to be) pennyless would-be Gigolo with big dreams (but small IQ) meets a sick, pennyless con-artist with big dreams (and a slightly higher IQ). After realising their joint IQ's dont make 3 figures, they head for Miami where that's not a problem, but the con artist dies. That's it. This is a film comprising 2 great performances but needs a decent story. It ACTUALLY has one, but the abandonment, flashbacks of rape, the hints of murder, are brushed aside in deference to the main "buddy movie"
1	Insan3	83 _71st
Very well acted by Voight and Hoffman, this film has a tendency to be very hard to watch as the two of them get more and more desperate to survive. I don't mind headtrips, but I can't help think the flashbacks could have been handled better and the party scene wasn't that great. Aside from that, this is great stuff.
1	Leonardis	95 _85th
Some won't enjoy it, but The leads are incredible and story is awesome. I liked it.
1	thehynes	51 _35th
Village idiot murders a conflicted closet homosexual but it's OK & rather kinda sweet because he wants to take his friend to Florida
1	fra paolo	40 _38th
Poor pacing undermines the poignant tragedy of two well-realised characters.
1	DavidThomson	35 _18th
This film is odd stylistically, like a lot of Schlesinger. On the bus ride there's a real documentary sense of passing life. But in Manhattan, there is too much feeling of the whole thing being very arranged. That said, it was a breakthrough film in that so many raucous and sordid things were handled so casually. Jon Voight was very much Schlesinger's discovery. Ratso is not really to be believed. It's a shameless piece of overacting. Schlesinger remained far more at ease with British material.
1	nilooravaei	96 _97th
this movie is strange and it's effects are lasting. i wasn't sure how i felt about when i watched it, but as time passes, i keep thinking about it and it seems to settle in me more and more. i will watch this movie many many more times as i am inexplicably falling in love with it. this is filmmaking at its best, and sadly, a filmmaking of the past.
1	Yiannos	75 _84th
Like Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy is an important film for its cultural impact rather than its aesthetic significance. It's now customary to refer to its 'experimental' touches as dated, but the truth is that they are merely a pale shadow of their European influences, and even Coppola used some of these techniques to better effect in The Rain People. Voight and Hoffman are excellent in their respective roles though, and Barry's iconic score resonates long after the credits stop rolling.
1	anilscn	77 _91st
Sonunda tanrım sonunda. 2020'nin 45. gününde bir film favori listeme girdi. İnanamıyorum.
1	NathanBates	80 _77th
For me, this falls into the disappointing category of Incredible Movies That I Hope I Never Have to Watch Again (hello, Godfather, you have company). Stylistically, it's impressive but at heart it's the story of two down-and-out guys trying to make it in the world. I'm glad I've seen it, but the characters don't have enough emotional depth that would make me want to rewatch it.

Average Percentile 69.16% from 3322 Ratings