In Midnight Cowboy, Ratso Rizzo shouts, “I’m walking here!” after a taxi nearly hits him and Joe Buck while they cross a New York street. The outburst was delivered by Dustin Hoffman as Ratso.
The scene is famous partly because it feels spontaneous and confrontational. Ratso’s anger expresses the frustration of a vulnerable character navigating a city that seems indifferent to him. The line also captures the film’s gritty depiction of urban life and the uneasy partnership between Ratso and Joe.
Midnight Cowboy was released in 1969 and directed by John Schlesinger. It stars Jon Voight as Joe Buck and Hoffman as Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and remains the only X-rated film to win that award, although its rating was later changed.