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Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View Midnight Cowboy film page

Poster artwork for Midnight Cowboy — Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

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

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Texan dishwasher Joe Buck arrives in New York believing he can support himself as a hustler for wealthy women. He instead forms an uneasy partnership with sick, homeless con man Enrico 'Ratso' Rizzo while both dream of escape to Florida.

Why it belongs

Through location grit, subjective montage, pop music, and Voight and Hoffman's wounded friendship, Midnight Cowboy makes New York harsh and hallucinatory.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Crowded sidewalks, condemned rooms, television fragments, flashback flashes, 'Everybody's Talkin',' and wintry street light contrast Joe's fantasy with material precarity; Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman construct tenderness through bargaining, irritation, and dependence.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

Academy Awards3 wins1970 · official ceremony record ↗

Best Picture1970 · Jerome Hellman, Producerofficial ceremony record ↗Directing1970 · John Schlesingerofficial ceremony record ↗Writing (Screenplay—based on material from another medium)1970 · Waldo Saltofficial ceremony record ↗

Golden Globes1 win1970 · official film record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

BAFTA6 wins1970 · official BAFTA 1970 Film Awards results ↗

Best Film1970 · John Schlesingerofficial BAFTA 1970 Film Awards results ↗Best Direction1970 · John Schlesingerofficial BAFTA 1970 Film Awards results ↗Best Actor1970 · Dustin Hoffmanofficial BAFTA 1970 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 3 additional wins

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for

Film Club

Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 10043

Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.1

Engagement8.7

Ease7.2

English · X (original)
Narrative Feature
Mood: Absorbing & Reflective