Midnight Cowboy

John Schlesinger’s 1969 drama, Midnight Cowboy, follows the story of naïve would-be hustler Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and ailing con man Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), set against the gritty backdrop of New York City in the late 1960s. The film received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, becoming the only X-rated film to the win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

James Kendrick argues that this film, more so than its notable contemporaries, captures the immense turmoil, change and re...