Midnight Cowboy Review

I knew nothing about the film before watching it, but I really like Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, so I had quite high hopes. But ultimately their performances were pretty much the only thing that carried the mostly uneventful film.

I did really enjoy the “Hey, I’m walkin’ here!” scene with the taxi. I was familiar with this famous scene, but did not realise it was from this film, so it came as a surprise. When I went to New York I expected to hear this kind of thing shouted all the time, but was disappointed that nobody said it once during the entire time that I was there. Dustin Hoffman has said that this scene was improvised, but other claims seem to cast doubt on this. Either way, it’s a great moment of cinema, but I hope it was an impromptu decision by Hoffman as I do very much enjoy learning of unscripted or unplanned moments that manage to make the final cut in film and television.

Another particular highlight was Joe’s failed attempt at opening the coconut with a sliding sash window – perhaps a metaphor for their pitiful lives.

There were a number of flashback scenes, some of which seemed appropriate and others such as the rapey flashback scenes were just a little odd and were never really explained. I can’t really say these necessarily improved the film for me. I thought that the party scene was interesting to begin with, but carried on far too long.

I did however quite enjoy Ratso’s bizarre fantasy, where he and Joe make it to Miami. Ratso is enjoying sunbathing and frolicking with a half-naked Joe Buck. He has lost his limp and is even able to outrun Joe. He is popular with the old women and is able to have someone else shine his shoes. I suppose scenes like this are open to interpretation, but I felt that it confirmed that Ratso had some sexual feelings towards Joe and that he perhaps desired more than just friendship.

Ultimately, Ratso never makes it to Miami, after succumbing to his unspecified illness. I probably would have liked to know more about his ill health, but I imagine it was caused or exacerbated by his poor living conditions and refusal to see a doctor.

I did really like the final shot of Joe with his hand on his dead friend, as he looks out of the window at Miami and you can see in the reflection of the palm trees on the glass. I appreciated the cruel irony that Ratso died shortly before reaching Miami – which was his lifelong ambition to see. Joe has closed Ratso’s eyes, which further reinforces the fact that he doesn’t quite survive long enough to see it.

Apparently this film won the Oscar for best picture in 1970. I find it hard to believe that this was the best film released in 1969, but I don’t think I’ve actually seen any other films from this year, so I can’t say for sure. It amused me greatly however, that the famous white supremacist John Wayne was pissed off that “a story about two fags” beat his film at the Oscars.

3 stars out of 5