Midnight Express (1978)

Randy Quaid: Jimmy Booth

Photos 

Quotes 

• Jimmy : The second way out, I need you guy's help, and that's under.

  Billy Hayes : You mean tunnel? Are you serious?

  Max : This is Shagmahr prison, not Stalag 17.

  Jimmy : Well that's where you're wrong fuckface, 'cause it's already built!

• Jimmy : What you in for? Hash?

  Billy Hayes : Yeah.

  Jimmy : Where?

  Billy Hayes : The airport - trying to get home.

  Jimmy : That's heavy.

  Billy Hayes : You think so?

  Jimmy : Yeah, I think so. This ain't the good ole USA. This is Turkey, man. It's a fuckin' accident here if you're innocent. They ain't nobody here who's innocent.

  Erich : Don't pay too much attention. Anything is possible in Turkey. He's talkin' about if they hit you for smuggling. It can be bad. But, if they make it possession. It's easier. You might even get bail.

  Jimmy : Bail?

  Erich : And if you make bail, you're free. You can get yourself a fake passport or sneak across the border to Greece.

  Jimmy : Yeah, sure. Keep dreamin'. See where that gets you.

• Billy Hayes : Peacocks? Why peacocks?

  Jimmy : The Turks use them instead of dogs. They scream like mad if they're disturbed and they don't get rabies. The old sultans used to use them to guard their harems.

  Billy Hayes : Who are the kids?

  Jimmy : Kids - little fuckers! Thieves. Rapists. Pickpockets. Murderers. You name it, they do it. Don't trust any of 'em.

• Billy Hayes : It looks like a cheap hotel.

  Jimmy : Only the room service is lousy. I'm Jimmy Booth. This is Erich - something Swedish, I don't know.

  Erich : Just Erich.

  Jimmy : He cleaned you up.

  Billy Hayes : Thanks. I'm Billy Hayes. At least, I used to be.

• [Billy, Max and Jimmy are going over blueprints of the prison] 

  Jimmy : There's two ways out, I figure. Over the roof, but that's only one person, maybe two. The other way is under.

  Billy Hayes : Tunnel?

  Jimmy : It's already built! There's a basement substructure where they used to keep weapons and stuff, but beneath that there's these old catacombs that the Christians built about a thousand fucking years ago to bury their dead. We're sitting right on top of it - here. The Kraut said there's a whole bunch of hollow sealed shafts sort of like dumbwaiters running along this wall. One of them is right in there, right next to our shower. We can get in there, he says, we can get down into the catacombs. With the three of us working...

  Max : [tapping at the wall]  Gotta be here someplace. Thought I heard a couple of dead Christians singing down there.

  Jimmy : Stop shitting me, man!

  Billy Hayes : But how would you get into the shaft, Jimmy?

  Max : I suppose you knock three times and ask for St. Peter.

• Jimmy : You're going to eat a lot more fasolia beans, Billy Baby, before you taste - hamburger again. Cause you broke the law, man, and you got caught.