A classic

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I was quite eager to check it out again. Anyway, even though it was released in 1969, in my opinion, it actually belongs to the great wave of amazingly inspired US movies from the 70’s. Indeed, back then, the box-office was not ruled by giant robots or super-heroes, it was ruled by such deep and dark features and this movie was a fine example. To be honest, I have never been really impressed by Jon Voight (seriously, in fact, the guy is nowadays more famous for being Angelina Jolie’s father than for his actual acting legacy) but he did make a few impressive movies and this movie is definitely one of them. And, of course, Dustin Hoffman was at the time one of the best actors in the world and he gave here one of his best performances. I still think it is a tricky movie though. I mean, both of the main characters were not exactly really like-able and you might wonder why they didn’t even at least try to have a regular job. In my opinion, it was basically displaying the destruction of the American Dream, no less than that. Indeed, they gave us this naive guy coming from Texas hoping he would make it in New York. However, instead, he did end up in the dark underworld of New York filled with misfits, filth and despair. One thing that was also interesting was that, instead of plainly stating his background, they gave us some rather fleeting bits and pieces dealing with Joe’s past showing that the guy was in fact already some damaged goods probably even before getting to New York. I also liked the look given by Dustin Hoffman during some silent scenes showing so much depth and humanity. Anyway, to conclude, it is basically a classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.


8/10