Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.
- John Schlesinger
- Burtt Harris
- Nicholas Sgarro
- James Leo Herlihy
- Waldo Salt
Rating: 7.5/10 by 1392 users
Alternative Title:
Vaquero de Medianoche - MX
Ο καουμπόι του μεσονυχτίου - GR
Kaboy-e Nimeshab - IR
Polnocný Kovboj - SK
Gece Yarısı Kovboyu - TR
Ponoćni kauboj - RS
Cowboy de medianoche - ES
Un uomo da marciapiede - IT
คาวบอยตกอับย่ำกรุง - TH
미드나잇 카우보이 - KR
미드나이트 카우보이 - KR
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Italiano
Runtime: 01 hour 53 minutes
Budget: $3,600,000
Revenue: $44,785,053
Plot Keyword: new york city, friendship, rape, based on novel or book, shower, texas, hustler, homelessness, rape of a male, male homosexuality, male prostitution, fish out of water, gang rape, cynical, lgbt, male bonding, polio, 1960s, anxious, cautionary, provocative
**"I'm walking here! I'm walking here!" Shuffling, perhaps.** One can always count on Hoffman and his ability to absorb the character he is portraying with such ease. He has a knack at portraying that deep, bronchial coughing schtick. When watching, I had to wear a surgical mask - just in case. Voight, as usual, is magnificent as the innocent amongst the scum. Watching this wide eyed lone ranger slowly losing the tassels from his jacket is a deeply moving experience. A word of warning, you may want to use antibacterial wipes on your tv screen after watching Hoffman here. One cannot be too careful. - Potential Kermode
This is certainly my favourite role from Dustin Hoffman as he turns in an outstanding performance as "Ratso". He hooks up with the dapper, but out of his depth cowboy "Buck" who arrives in New York all set to be a hustler, but ends up paying his first client for the sex she's supposed to pay him for! Initially, "Ratso" fleeces this gullible guy too, but gradually the two start to depend on one and other - which is as well for "Ratso" who is clearly not long for this world. His persistent cough is being worsened by the squalid conditions in which he, and latterly, "Buck" have to live and by their poverty row existence. This is a great story and John Schlesinger tells it with some panache. The relationship between the two men is honest and decent, even though that attribute could hardly be said to apply to either of them when it comes to anyone else: "Ratso" would probably have hustled his own grandmother given the chance. Their bond feels real, plausible - unsentimental and convincing; and the Waldo Salt screenplay ensures that the dialogue - though frequently quite sparing - is both poignant and humorous.
