User reviews

I found an old VHS tape of this film among my film collection: I don't think I've watched it for 30 years so I put it in the machine. I thought it was a strong movie with good performances and held up very well. I've always liked the music. I was amazed to read the reviews and find that the film was treated like a cinematic diatribe against Turkey and the Turkish people. The film is not about Turkey. That's simply the setting. it's no more about the Turkish people than "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang", "Cool Hand Luke" or "The Shawshank Redemption" is about the American people.

The film works on two levels. It's about a guy who foolishly decides to ignore the laws of a foreign country and smuggle hashish from ti to make some quick money. He gets caught and confronts a series of policemen, lawyers, judges and prison guards, none of them sympathetic characters. Those are the "Turkish people" presented to him and to us. They are little different from the sort of people who would hold those jobs in any country, including ours. A couple of prisoners make comments about disliking Turks but that's because this is their experience of them. There's no implications that all of the Turkish people are like these characters. On this level the film is just a stark reminder that if you travel to a foreign country you must be aware of and obey their laws. Just because you are an American, you have no special status.

The other level of the film and the part that makes it special is the psychological. the "Midnight Express" is not a train but it's not just an escape attempt. When Billy winds up in the asylum, he gets into a battle to hold on to his mind. He doesn't want to be a "bad machine", which is the other way to escape his dismal reality. he's losing that battle when his girlfriend show up to give him hope and reason to use it. That's what the movie is really about.

I have to be fair, the movie does what it's supposed to and that's giving the audience a horrific thrill ride. You'll spend your time watching the movie in sheer horror and at the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen next. As with all Oliver Stone movies such as Salvador, Born On The Fourth Of July and Platoon, Midnight Express is brutal and merciless. Oliver Stone it seems, has made a habit of making money and getting Oscars from controversial and/or little known events in history and dramatizing on it to a point of making the story haunting. The only downside is, for the sake of awards and "art", a culture was demonized beyond redemption and any limits over a fictional story (Oliver Stone himself wrote the story for the movie). *The following is not a spoiler from the movie but points out an event from the plot* In reality, William Hayes it turns out, was arrested at the Turkish airport for trying to smuggle packs of drugs attached on his body into the U.S., and he was held for a time before being given to the American authorities for deportation. William Hayes and Oliver Stone themselves it turns out, have already apologized to the Turkish people for the overly dramatized and fictional parts of the movie and the book. It's funny actually how a movie can create so much on a true moment in life to a point of fiction and still call it a true story. The Turks don't get any breaks in the movie. All their people, cops, judges, lawyers and inmates are shown in such extreme way as ugly, merciless, demonic and sadistic people that one who knows nothing about Turkey would think that its population consists of demons and ugly merciless sadists. Actually this can be compared to movies which have been made about the Russians in the past which always seem to show the Russian women as ugly people with facial hair and nothing attractive while in reality, Beautiful Russian women dominated the modeling business in the world. While apologies have been made, the damage has already been done on the image of the Turkish people. People who are anti-Turkish love praising this movie and insisting that it's a true story all the way while the Turks keep getting rightfully offended. Be aware however, that � or some more of this movie is purely fictional. Even just logic would tell you that at a time where the U.S. and Turkey had such strong relations during the cold war, something like what is shown in the movie would have been unthinkable by the Turkish authorities. For a person who just wants to watch a good thriller movie and doesn't care nor wants to get involved in any dramatic flame wars or political discussions on this board or any other, it's worth watching at least once. If you don't like the movie, at least you'll see what all this fuss has been about over the years since the movie was shown in the theaters.

Keep the pop-corns popping' and the good movies rolling' :D

This movie is pretty good, but speaking as an American who has lived in Turkey, this movie is a dramatization of a true story. While Turkey certainly has its problems with corruption, this movie is hardly something one should use to form an opinion on Turkey.

Wow. This was disturbing. I live in Nottingham, I have many Turkish friends who study here. If I didn't know them, I'd probably think that there wasn't a single Turk who is nice and pleasant... Some parts were actually funny. The judge (in Billy's hate monologue scene) was sounding exactly like Jabba the Hutt! I've heard people speak Turkish around me, so I knew the language which was supposed to be Turkish in the movie, wasn't. Come on people... Feels like this movie was made to make Turks look bad in every way possible. I've read an interview and I learnt that the real Billy Hayes was truly disappointed with the portrayal of Turkish people in the film. Anyway, this movie was fun to watch but would be ignorant to believe. Have a good one

"Midnight Express" is the type of movie that stays with you, that makes you think about the things that you have in your everyday life, and makes you cherish those things. The movie opens with our "hero" William "Billy" Hayes wrapping himself up in aluminum folded hash, as he is preparing to attempt going through customs with the drugs around his waist. It's Turkey in 1970, and as the movie points out, bombs are being planted on aircrafts like flies on syrup. Right off the bat, we can see that Billy does not have the "cojones" for such a task, as the recurrent heartbeat that becomes the movie's trademark, along with its Oscar-winning score by Giorgio Moroder, gets stronger and stronger to the point where that nervousness and lack of cool costs him his freedom. He is searched before boarding the plane, and is taken away into a nightmarish ride.

There's a problem that I have with a character played by "American Graffiti's" Bo Hopkins, who comes in and is very fluent in Turkish, and introduces himself as "sort of a representative from the U.S. Consulate". The problem that I have with this character is that we are never told his name, or why he is even there, but he is certainly a key element in the film, since he is the one who put Billy behind bars after a stupid attempt to escape.

Now, I do agree on the fact that the punishment must fit the crime, and at the beginning, the 4-year sentence that Billy's given seems to be just about right for a federal offense such as trying to smuggle drugs from one country to another, but our "hero" never seems to be able to understand the severity of his crime, and never seems to regret his actions, even coming close to demanding that his father "get him out of there". After his sentence is changed to Life in Prison, Billy goes berserk, and starts a monologue against Turkish justice, and even its people that must have caused quite a controversy back in its day.

The supporting characters are all brilliantly played, namely John Hurt in an Oscar-nominated turn as an English prisoner who has been half eaten by drugs and prison life, and who is left behind by Billy at the end, but we never are told what became of him. Randy Quaid is equally good, albeit, in a more thankless role as a fellow American who was imprisoned for 7 years after stealing a candlestick from a temple.

The movie is not easy to digest, but is realistic enough to make you feel for the leading characters, especially Billy, even though we know that he deserved to do the time, we don't feel like he deserved Life Sentence, and so, that is why the ending is so rewarding in our hearts. Rewarding not in a "Shawshank Redemption" fantasy type of a way, but in a true sense, because unlike Andy Dufresne in "Shawshank", Billy's escape is purely random, and we go along with him for the ride towards freedom, not like Andy, who snuck out the back door, and left us wanting for more. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that "Shawshank" is one of the top 5 movies that I've ever seen, but "Midnight Express" stays with you a little longer. They don't make 'em like this anymore. By the way, this was Oliver Stone's first script to be turned into a movie.

I highly recommend this movie, as it is one of the true jewels of the golden era of Hollywood in the 1970's. Check it out.

First off, I can understand any criticisms geared towards Midnight Express. Some might say it has a sympathetic depiction of drug traffickers. Some might say it has pitiless violence. Some might say the representation of the Turkish jailers is stereotypical. Some might say it had an over-simplistic approach to the key issues that greeted it upon release. Those who say that are in some ways right, this film does have those things.

However, while they are hard to counter in a way, I actually don't consider them flaws. To me, Midnight Express was still a superbly staged film. It has atmospheric cinematography and lighting, while the direction from Alan Parker is powerful and intelligent. Giorgio Moroder's electronic score is wonderful and unforgettable, some people may think it too strident perhaps, but I loved it and thought it added a lot to the film. The film also has a very good screenplay, a very effective and iconic opening sequence and a harrowing yet gripping story.

The acting is outstanding, especially Brad Davis, while Randy Quaid and the underrated John Hurt are also excellent. So all in all, Midnight Express is a great film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

It is generally believed that "Midnight Express" is one of those rare films which must have had a long life of maximum television reruns in USA thanks to its disputatious content.Those who have seen it will have no qualms in affirming that even after 30 years of its release, Midnight Express continues to offend Turkish people as it had portrayed their nation as a barbaric third world country which has scant respect for human rights.All the fuss is created due to the shocking yet sympathetic portrayal of an American citizen William Hayes who is put in a Turkish prison after his arrest on drug peddling charges.It is true that director Alan Parker and script writer Oliver Stone have done a good job by showing that some prisons can turn out to be absolute hell.What did not work in their favor is the fact that most of scenes related to prison life and William Haye's treatment by Turkish authorities have been grossly exaggerated. To state that British director Alan Parker's film Midnight Express is a highly controversial work of art would be akin to twisting history.It is a film entirely based on perceptions.One must watch "Le Trou" by Jacques Becker if somebody is looking for a commendable film based on prison life.

It was with some interest that I sat and watched an interview with the real Billy Hayes before writing this. Two interviews in fact where Hayes admits this film does not tell the whole story. Above all he states that this was not a first offense for him, it was only the first time he was caught smuggling hashish out of Turkey. Had to happen sooner or later and Hayes was sent to Turkish prison.

That does not lessen in the slightest the impact that Midnight Express has because jail is jail no matter where you go. And jail except for a few western countries like the USA is rough. What it is is not as squalid as what you see in Turkey. And of course those rights that are in the Constitution that one takes for granted here just aren't there in most countries. It's only in countries with their legal system stemming from an Anglo-Saxon tradition that you are innocent until proved guilty. Good reason to deter people from doing what Billy Hayes did.

Midnight Express is probably the best of a tradition of Americans in foreign prisons films like Breakout or Brokedown Palace as other examples. Brad Davis in a breakthrough role gives a powerful performance as our protagonist Billy Hayes. His fellow western inmates include Randy Quaid, Norbert Weisser and Academy Award nominee John Hurt. Each of them adapts to Turkish prison in their own way and they all mentor Davis.

The real Billy Hayes said that the portrayal of the Turks was unjust and that we shouldn't judge Turkey by the Turks we see here. I wouldn't do that either, but who do we see but Turks involved in the criminal justice system so different that our's and Turk prisoners in the same jail that Davis and the rest are in.

Jail is jail and no jail is complete without it's officials finks. Paolo Bonacelli is the stool pigeon planted in the same cell with the foreigners and he gets a rather just comeuppance for his activities. Most powerful of all is the head guard Paul Smith who has made Davis a particular target for torture. Inadvertently also he's means for Davis's deliverance.

Midnight Express got two Oscars for Best Music score and best adapted screenplay and other nominations including the one John Hurt got for Best Supporting Actor. Prison films never date and Midnight Express is as powerful as when it was released in 1978.

No matter how many times I've watched this, I invariably shake like a leaf for Billy Hayes as Alan Parker makes us follow him through the passport and customs control in the film's majestic expository first minutes. And I always hope against hope that he'll make it to that aircraft and fly off with his loot. But no - each and every time, they get to him, he raises his hands in the air and that precise moment Giorgio's electrifying pads kick in like a tidal wave.

Proceed through for a disturbing, serious, harrowing, multi-layered mega performance by Brad Davis, a sadly missed icon if ever there was one, impeccably directed by Alan Parker and beautifully coloured by Giorgio Moroder at his big screen best. And yes, "The Chase" is in there - ever heard the 12" version on a dancefloor? You must.

This film plays hardball with you and will inflict psychological pain on you like you'll never forget. Fantastic.

I read a number of political comments about this movie and especially about how wrongful it is for Turkey. Well it might be fictional in some ways but the fact that his sentence was changed from 4 years to life in prison for marijuana smuggling (true story) kind of balances out the fictional parts. I don't know of the opinion of the victim but certainly I would not have been best pleased.

This excellent movie deals with the American Bill Hayes (performedd by the late Brad Davis ) who was detained smuggling two kilograms of hashish while trying to board the flight along with his girlfriend (Irene Miracle) from Istanbul, Turkey, in 1970 . He was condemned to four years in a hellish Turkish prison on a drug possession charge, but his sentence was later extended Turkish courts decide to make an example of him , sentencing him to more than 30 years in jail . Hayes has two opportunities for getting freedom : the appeals made by his advocate at law , his father (Mike Kellin), and the American government, or the "Midnight Express¨ . Meanwhile, Hayes suffers incredible cruelty and sadism before his escape in 1975. It deals upon horrible conditions of prisoners and grueling efforts of the meager captives to survive ,confrontating mistreats, rampage and continuous violence with punches , lashes, knocks and incredible tortures . The most part of the movie takes place into four walls of a jail , criminal court ,yard and sewers involving and executing the preparatives of the escape . The picture tells the authentic experiences of convicts who live in a brutal Turkish prison that is a hell on the earth , reflecting the hardship existence of the inmates . We have seen men tortured , harassed and humiliated in a gaol where rules the strongest law . The film narrates physical mistreats , tortures and the preparation and execution of the getaway , but also friendship and comradeship . Later on , Hayes erupts in an explosion of self-defensive violence in some breathtaking scenes.

This powerful prison movie well produced by prestigious producer David Puttnam contains thought-provoking drama , thrills , chills and lots of violence . Sensational performances from the magnificent starring Brad Davis who suffers an emotional brutalization and perfect support cast as the junkie John Hurt , the nasty sneaker Paolo Bonacelli who causes in Hayes an explosion of violence and Paul Smith as sadist warden who uses unthinkable tortures and brutality. This is a superbly crafted film though is also intensely manipulative and xenophobic . Interesting screenplay deserving an Oscar by Oliver Stone though full of offensive stereotypes against Turks and not faithful to Bill Hayes's true deeds . Evocative and dark cinematography by Michael Seresin . Unforgettable score by Giorgio Moroder with excessive use of synthesizer and electronic music. Skill and riveting direction by Alan Parker with some sensationalist touch ; this is his first big success , subsequently he made other hits such as ¨Fame¨, ¨The Wall¨,¨Angel heart¨, ¨Missisipi Burning¨ , among them. Rating : Very good , above average . Worthwhile watching .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TweU77cDrgE

I find it rather unbelievable that viewers of this film find this film's view of Turkish people believable. This film's depiction of Turks is one sided to the extent of being racist. To the extent that one thinks it was not a coincidence and was financed by a lobby that had an agenda.

It may have been understandable if it was only the prison guards and policeman, and the soldiers etc, who were represented as pigs. OK, in that case we see the world from the eyes of the individual who is quashed by the legal system and enforcement of a state for a petty crime of smuggling some weed... It would be OK if the target here was the "State".

However in this movie any Turk is a bad guy, filthy guy, a rapist, a liar ...

How could any audience find this believable? To think that this movie got two Oscars, one for screenplay...

Anyway the link above is an interview with the guy that wrote the book which Oliver Stone's screenplay is based on. You can listen to his version of the story where Turks are just like any other people and their "turkish prison" is about as bad as any other prison in the world...

FIrst of all, I think the context of where my criticism is coming from is important to know for those who read this. i have never been to prison but I have spent most of my life alone. The film was touching but was not very intense, and it should have been since it took place in a Turkish prison. In fact, I thought the prison wasn't bad at all. Not imprisoned in cells but something life a living apartment. The director or writer should have used more details to really give a feel for what the problems were at the prison because I wasn't bothered by the setting. The main character mentioned be lonely or something like that but that didn't seen effective either in communicating the feel of the prison. Only did the conditions seem radical later in the film when he is transfered. But up till that point it wasting striking me as a horrible experience.

Other criticisms are the abrupt homosexual sequence and the 70's soundtrack. The story moved along well but the suddenness of the homosexual encounter was too abrupt and could have been built up better by the writer. Also, the music had it's strong moments but was also distracting sometimes because of the distinct outdated 70's tunes. But I wont say much about that because the 70's were awesome and it was a 70's movie. Too bad all the 70's songs don't last.

Otherwise, the film was good and had enjoyable acting but still not enough character development.

Two years after Midnight Express caused an international stir, Captain Oveur asked Joey this unforgettable question which always puzzled me until I saw this movie. Fortunately, I have never been to one, and I can honestly say that despite the comments on this site that they are the next best thing to Club Med, I am in no hurry to visit one!

Which raises the question, how do all these Turkish commentators know that prisons and prison life in 1970s Turkey is not how it's depicted here? Either IMDb is populated with Turkish ex-cons or they don't know and are wrong (seeing that no one ever is freed from a Turkish prison). And if Billy Hayes was such a threat to the kind, gentle Turkish society and deserved a life sentence, why didn't the Turkish gov't deport him?

I guess I could criticize the character development of the prison guards as shallow and one-sided. I am sure they had many redeeming qualities that if more fully explored would explain that the torture was just symptomatic of deeper, inner pain experienced as children.

At any rate, I am sure Joey knew that Turkish prison guards and Captain Oveur's suggestion couldn't be any good, even without seeing this movie or reading IMDb comments from Turkish ex-cons!

Loosely based on the true story of Billy Hayes (collected from his book of the same title), Alan Parker's "Midnight Express" contains some of the most effective and rightly iconic scenes in all of film history -- the opening with the heartbeats devoid of any soundtrack; the "Oh Billy!" segment; and of course the entire idea of Turkish prisons being terrible and abusive.

Hayes' story was elaborative to begin with and Oliver Stone -- not exactly one to be known for sticking close to the truth -- exaggerates it even more; so far, indeed, that it almost becomes fictional. The real Hayes had no girlfriend, was not raped in jail, DID have a homosexual relationship with another inmate (the film shows him denying the advances), and escaped at night by sea.

However, as a film this is probably one of the great motion pictures of the 1970s. Parker ("Angel Heart") is a brilliant visual director and uses much of the same imagery he would use later on in his career. For example, take note of the fans in the sweltering heat inside the courtroom. They'd be used again in "Angel Heart." Brad Davis gives a wonderful performance and convincingly devolves from a naive American student to a crazy lunatic by the time he enters the insane asylum. John Hurt's performance was also worthy of its Oscar nomination.

Overall, this is very much a product of its time -- it's depressing, bleak, and almost painful to watch; and because it's a Stone screenplay, there's a lot of politics at play. However, the overall film is breathtaking, thrilling and unpredictable (to a point) -- it's definitely worth seeing at least once in your lifetime.

Bearing little resemblance to the book, or in fact to real life, "Midnight Express" exists in a sadomasochist bubble, completely removed from anything concrete. Even on its own terms, it makes no sense. With heavy homosexual overtones throughout, our hero (played by Brad Davis) turns down gay sex as if he's above it, yet director Alan Parker revels in the sexual imagery (what with Davis standing spread out in front of the law or being pawed at by sexual brute Paul Smith). Are we to believe that this American tourist in Turkey, jailed for attempting to smuggle out hashish, is some kind Arc Angel, remaining pure throughout the carnage? Oliver Stone adapted the non-fiction book, and won an Oscar, but he waters down an already taut account (or maybe it was watered down for him). This is not to say the film doesn't have horrifying or fascinating passages (it does command attention), but the "plot", as such, doesn't hang together. The movie has a dated look, and dated music, causing it to resemble an old porny picture, and the performances are variable. **1/2 from ****

Ok I'll try not to be subjective as the movie itself while judging it, whereas it'll be hard. Now, it has its pluses and minuses like all the movies ever made in the history of cinema. Nothing wrong with that for sure. What's wrong, though, is that, the minuses override the pluses in this movie BIG TIME! Life in a Turkish prison might not be anywhere close to a vacation in Hawaii, but the situation is exaggerated 5 million times in this movie. First of all, foreigners are always treated nicer than locals in Turkey, in all aspects of society, including the prisons. Second, this Hayes guy wasn't imprisoned just because everyone in the prison was ugly and the prison needed a handsome detainee, he was imprisoned because he was trafficking DRUGS! Even in Holland, where the law permits the use of hash, trafficking so much stuff would be enough to make one look at the world through the jail bars. For those who don't know: There was another American guy who went to prison in Turkey at about the same time as Hayes, for the same crime. And upon watching this revolting movie, he wrote a book about his experience in the "tourist cell" of a Turkish prison, and he clearly states Hayes is a big time BS thrower and his life in the Turkish prison was exactly as good as a life in any prison could have been. So one could easily tell that the storyline on this movie is not necessarily imaginary, but an absolute exaggeration of the reality.

Enough about the story, now let's talk about the cinematography itself. Well.. It's BAD! The Turkish lawyer and the Turkish prisoners speaking Turkish with an Italian accent, the Turkish judge speaking Turkish with an American accent, the Turkish prosecutor played by an Armenian terrorist speaking in a terrible Armenian accent.. That's hillarious! Also, everyone who plays a Turkish role in the movie is ugly as hell. Women all wear ninja-suits. Well, what else? Or do we need any other reason to say this movie is a failure? It's so obvious that the director is tearing up his rear to make Turks and Turkey look bad. And if it takes such an obvious try to do that, it means his filmmaking skills are not good enough to manifest his message.

If you want to see a movie that's showing things 0 out of which are the least bit real, and if you want to lose all your respect to director Alan Parker, go watch this movie right now! But if you just want a good movie, avoid it at all costs, it'll make you nauseous.

Artistically, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS is quite well made... I do recall several media reports at the time of the film's release that led to contrary impressions, supporting the deliberate attempt by the filmmakers to do a hatchet job on the setting of this film. The first was Billy Hayes himself, when he first arrived on native soil, having pulled off his alleged escape; he said on TV, "I like the Turks...it's the prison I had a problem with" Easy to understand; few prisons are a joy ride, regardless of nation of origin. From this, I gathered he personally didn't have an animosity against the Turks, although MIDNIGHT EXPRESS goes out of its way to make everything negative about the country and culture. Only the "Western" characters are good and attractive, and the folks selected to play the Turks are corrupt, physically ugly and basically sub-human. The exterior scenes in Turkey itself have a grayish tint, implying the land is a hell-hole, and even the near-universally acclaimed cuisine gets a black eye.

The second thing from the (film's release) period I recall was a discussion on radio that claimed the prison Billy served time in was relatively modern, built in the mid-sixties... and not the Devil's Island PAPILLON setting depicted in the movie. (A 19th-Century British barracks in Malta was used for the prison.) Naturally, some artistic leeway is allowed here, since the movie's purpose is to paint a picture of a living nightmare.

I recall reading the book years ago, and when our hero got his unfair sentence, naturally he was in despair... but at that moment, he felt an almost gallant, resigned acceptance. In contrast, when Billy gave his courtroom speech in the movie (which certainly was a defining moment of the film's ill-naturedness... to quote part of the speech: "For a nation of pigs, it sure seems funny that you don't eat them! Jesus Christ forgave the bastards, but I can't! I hate! I hate you! I hate your nation! And I hate your people! And I f**k your sons and daughters because they're pigs! You're all pigs!"), the three ugly judges actually hung their heads in shame. I wonder if there's a courtroom in any nation that would permit such a prolonged and loud outburst.

The August 30th post mistakenly referred to Turkey as an Arab nation.... so the user must not have seen "Lawrence of Arabia," where the Arabs were the heroes and the Turks were the villains. It's interesting that in the rare Hollywood film where Arabs are portrayed "positively," Turks still come across as barbaric.

A Turkish-American friend has told me, contrary to what others here are thinking that the film couldn't really prejudice the viewer, that the film has achieved one of its purposes, to leave a sore, anti-Turkish taste in mouths. Keeping in mind that Americans are generally ignorant of the ways of many foreign nations, this film continues, even today, of being the only source of information most Americans have about Turkey. As cinematically effective and wonderfully made this film is, there's a disturbing side to MIDNIGHT EXPRESS that makes it mildly resemble a contemporary "Jude Suess," or THE ETERNAL JEW ("Der Ewige Jude").