Midnight Cowboy

Rating: 3.85/5

I absolutely need to give Midnight Cowboy another viewing. Though I can't say I'm proud of it, I had so many pre-conceived notions going into this movie, that I really don't think I gave it a fair chance.

Before seeing Midnight Cowboy, all I'd heard was how R rated it was. How shocking it was. I knew a bit about this movie's plot, but all I really knew about it was hearsay. I was also aware that this was a precursor for a decade of cinema style that I'd never been overly fond of. I really usually try to go into a movie with an open mind, but I can honestly say that didn't happen for Midnight Cowboy.

From a 1960s standard, yes, it does makes sense that Midnight Cowboy was considered incredibly racy, but from today's perspective, it's rather tame. Based on its reputation, I was quite surprised.

Even though I may not have loved Midnight Cowboy, there's no way I could watch this and not be in awe of its performances. This really was the movie that reigned in a new era of cinema and star power. There's no question as to why Midnight Cowboy's two leads became some of the biggest names in Hollywood, with Dustin Hoffman practically dominating the box office for the following two decades. This movie presented such a new style of acting. Deeply unique and complicated characters. Ones where, in the movie's short runtime, we only get to see the very surface of them, knowing that there's so much more that could be unearthed if the characters existed beyond the credits.

I want to see Midnight Cowboy again, not only to give it the second chance it so rightly deserves, but also to be able to witness the performances once again.

1970 Best Picture Winner - Midnight Cowboy

1970 Best Director Winner - John Schlesinger

1970 Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Winner - Waldo Salt