Midnight Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Midnight Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 17, 2025

John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman; new audio commentary by cinema author and critic Matthew Asprey Gear; several archival programs with cast and crew members; Nancy Buirski's recent documentary "Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy"; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Joe Buck (Jon Voight, Deliverance, Heat), a naive, handsome Texas cowboy, heads to New York to try his luck. He wants to be a hustler because someone told him that "there are plenty of rich women back East begging for it, paying for it, too". While traveling, Joe spends most of his time chewing gum and listening to his tiny radio, which helps him figure out what part of the country he is passing through.

Once in New York, Joe immediately goes to work. He approaches various women asking where the Statue of Liberty is, hoping that they would somehow figure out that he is available for hire. However, Cass (Sylvia Miles, Farewell, My Lovely, Wall Street), the only one that uses his services, asks that he pay her.

Eventually, Joe meets Ratso (Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate), a crippled con man who agrees to introduce him to a prominent escort manager -- for a proper fee. But when Joe pays Ratso, he takes him to a religious freak somewhere in Brooklyn and then runs away. Disillusioned and angered, Joe begins wandering aimlessly until he accidentally meets Ratso again in a small coffee shop.

Though not as gritty and certainly not as violent as some of Martin Scorsese’s early urban dramas, John Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy is just as bleak. The film also oozes pessimism, though Joe’s awkward comments occasionally brighten things up a bit.

The film has the rawness and energy that nowadays only select independent films have -- it is as honest as it could possibly be, never even attempting to be politically correct. For example, when Joe is thrown out of his hotel, he realizes that the quickest way to earn a couple of bucks is to visit a corner of the city where the cheapest male prostitutes work. It is a terrible decision but for a desperate man like him the only logical one. The goal of the film, however, is not to explore the city’s seediest corners; Joe’s experiences there are simply part of his street education.

After Joe and Ratso reunite, the film becomes warmer for a short period of time. The two encourage and help each other, make a couple of good moves, and for a while, it looks like they might get a break. But then they come to realize that the city is not for amateurs like them, and the tone of the film again changes dramatically. The final third of the film, where the realization occurs, is incredibly moving.

The acting is exceptional. The Graduate might have transformed Hoffman into a star, but Midnight Cowboy convinced everyone that he was destined to be a legend. And rightfully so, as his character, Ratso, is amongst the greatest in American cinema. For Voight, who is absolutely mesmerizing as the naive Texas longhorn, Midnight Cowboy was the film that made him a star.

Adam Holender’s (The Panic in Needle Park) lensing is original and very effective. The colorful dream sequences, for instance, were imitated in a number of different films that were made after Midnight Cowboy. Oscar-winner John Barry’s (Dances with Wolves) soundtrack is also outstanding.

*Midnight Cowboy was the first and last X-rated film to ever win an Oscar Award for Best Picture, in addition to Oscar Awards for Best Director (John Schlesinger) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Waldo Salt). In 1971, two years after its theatrical release, the film was re-rated to R.

Midnight Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Imprint Films' release of Midnight Cowboy is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and the Blu-ray are Region-Free.

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-20 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #24-37 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

This combo pack release brings to Australia the 4K restoration of Midnight Cowboy that was introduced on Blu-ray by Criterion in 2018. The 4K restoration was supervised and approved by cinematographer Adam Holender. (You can see our review of the Criterion Blu-ray release here). In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision.

Midnight Cowboy looks great in native 4K, which should not be surprising because the 4K restoration is excellent. I think that folks with very large screens will be most satisfied with the quality of the native 4K presentation because all visuals now have an even more pleasing organic appearance. However, in native 4K, the drops and spikes in grain exposure, which are caused by different unique lensing choices, are a lot more pronounced as well. In other words, there are shifting density levels that the native 4K presentation exacerbates quite a bit -- or at least when compared to the previous presentation of the 4K restoration in 1080p. The Dolby Vision grade is convincing. I liked how several of the flashbacks and short dreamy sequences looked better on my system. Also, the party footage with the rich red lights looked great. In other words, the expanded color gamut of 4K is not difficult to appreciate, and the good Dolby Vision grade helps many areas look more attractive now. Of course, the 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration is still mighty impressive, so I really do believe that viewing the native 4K presentation of it on different 4K systems will be appreciated differently. On my system, the expanded color gamut with the improved dynamic range of the visuals was the most satisfying upgrade. I could see the effects of the superior density levels, but I did not find them to be as consequential and pleasing in the same way. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Midnight Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I started viewing the film with the LPCM 2.0 track, then switched to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, and eventually did a few tests with the LPCM Mono track from the Criterion release. The LPCM 2.0 and LPCM 1.0 tracks are not identical. Also, while I do not think that it is underwhelming, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is not my go-to option to view the film. The party footage and some dream sequences have a very different vibe when viewed with it. On the other hand, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track will likely be the track that some viewers will always use because it clearly expands the dynamic field. On this release, I personally will stay with the LPCM 2.0 track.

Midnight Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary features director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman and was recorded in 1991. It has appeared on various other home video releases of Midnight Cowboy.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by cinema author and critic Matthew Asprey Gear.

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary features director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman and was recorded in 1991. It has appeared on various other home video releases of Midnight Cowboy.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by cinema author and critic Matthew Asprey Gear.

• After Midnight: Reflecting On a Classic 35 Years Later - in this archival program, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvia Miles, producer Jerome Hellman, Jennifer Salt, and cinematographer Adam Holender, amongst others, discuss the production history of Midnight Cowboy, how James Leo Herlihy's famous novel was adapted, director John Schlesinger and his legacy, etc. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Controversy and Acclaim - a collection of video interviews focusing on the controversy that surrounded Midnight Cowboy before and after its theatrical release. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Celebrating Schlesinger - this archival program takes a closer look at the life and legacy of John Schlesinger. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Salute to John Schlesinger: An Englishman in Hollywood - in March 1998, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival paid tribute to John Schlesinger with a screening of his first American film, Midnight Cowboy. During the screening, Schlesinger talked to Eckhard Schmidt about working as a British director in Hollywood. Presented here is this conversation. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Discussion with John Schlesinger - presented here is a discussion with John Schlesinger from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, filmed in 1998. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Midnight Cowboy. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy - this recent documentary reexamines the genesis and difficult production of Midnight Cowboy, as well as the socio-cultural environment from which it emerged. Included in it are recent interviews with Jon Voight, actor/director Bob Balaban, and cinematographer Adam Holender, as well as various clips from archival content. The documentary was produced by Nancy Buirski in 2022. In English, not subtitled. (96 min).

• Adam Holender - presented here is an extended version of the interview with Adam Holender that is included in the documentary. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a trailer for Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Midnight Cowboy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The three key qualities that I think made so many American films from the '60s and '70s truly unforgettable are on full display in John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy -- bold and uncompromising attitude, unique visual style, and fearless acting. Of course, this film is extra-special because it did the unthinkable by becoming the first and last X-rated film to ever win an Oscar Award for Best Picture. Imprint Films' combo pack release presents the excellent 4K restoration of Midnight Cowboy, supervised and approved by cinematographer Adam Holender, on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, with a great selection of bonus features. One of these bonus features is Nancy Buirski's recent documentary Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy, which has new interviews with Jon Voight and Holender. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.