Review of Midnight Cowboy (1969) by Renee L — 26 May 2016

When I finally saw this, I was deeply moved, and could not stop thinking about it for a few days. The young John Voight is - at age 20-something - as breathless a beauty as his daughter. The con man and the hustler are both deeply damaged people - the hustler in soul, the con man in body.

As they struggle through the cruelties of New York, and inflict cruelties themselves, their friendship provides a vehicle for God's grace (note the pictures of the Sacred Heart in their shared hovel).

For Hoffman's character, Rizzo, Florida is heaven, and Voigt's character (the hustler Joe Buck) helps him get there. It is Buck's self-sacrifice and love for Rizzo that saves them. Though both of these characters are involved in what is considered sinful activity, there is a sweet naiveté about both of them, which reminds us that everyone was once innocent, that God is still present in the worst of circumstances, and that salvation is a cooperative endeavor.