fascinate downer about a would be male hustler in new york city force to live in a condemned building with a crippled con man . extremely bleak examination of modern day moral and social decline and extremely well direct by john schlesinger ( who never top his work here ) and superbly act by jon voight and dustin hoffman . pack quite a punch overall and yet the fantasy scenes some of which be play for a chuckle be mildly intrusive and a be the mod drug party . the relationship that develop between the two men be sentimental and yet the filmmaker be careful not to get mushy and and this give the picture an edge it might not have have with a less director than schlesinger . originally x rat in 1969 and and the winner of the best picture oscar while screenwriter waldo salt ( who adapt james leo herilhy book ) and schlesinger also win statue . half from .