Brad Davis

Irene Miracle

Bo Hopkins

Paolo Bonacelli

Paul L. Smith

Randy Quaid

Norbert Weisser

John Hurt

Mike Kellin

Franco Diogene

Michael Ensign

Gigi Ballista

Kevork Malikyan

Peter Jeffrey

Joe Zammit Cordina

Yashaw Adem

Raad Rawi

Tony Boyd

Zannino

Mihalis Giannatos

Vic Tablian

Ahmed El Shenawi

David Puttnam

William Hoffer

Peter Guber

Giorgio Moroder

Gerry Hambling

Billy Hayes

Oliver Stone

Alan Marshall

Alan Parker

Michael Seresin

Katharina Kubrick

Penny Steyne

Evan Hercules

Milena Canonero

Garth Thomas

Mary Hillman

Geoffrey Kirkland

Pat Hay

Richard Green

Sarah Monzani

David Appleby

Drama

Crime

Midnight Express

Columbia Pictures

Casablanca Filmworks

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

Français

Malti

Türkçe

prison

airport

drug smuggling

escape

court

1970s

attempt to escape

turkey

based on true story

prison guard

lawyer

torture

hashish

brutality

prison sentence

masturbation

prison brutality

istanbul, turkey

sadistic warden

turkish

anxious

cautionary

suspenseful

ominous

Bazzjazz

Midnight Express is a harrowing story based on true events.

Brad Davis delivers an outstanding performance with great supporting roles from John Hurt, Randy Quaid. It was an adapted Screenplay written by Oliver Stone which won him his first Oscar.

Georgia Maroda (spelling)soundtrack is really riveting as the ‘chase’ scene unfolds.
This is a movie that will stay with you for life.

They say that ‘Midnight Express’ did to Turkeys tourism, what ‘Jaws’ did to bathing in the sea.

Highly recommended.

CinemaSerf

Hmmm. I’m not sure time has been so kind to this, and as we look on it now it comes across as a rather condescending and stereotypical judgement of a Turkish penal system that dared to deal harshly with a drug smuggler. That character “Billy” (Brad Davis) doesn’t make it through immigration as he tries to leave Istanbul with loads of hashish strapped to his torso whilst sweating nervously. Initially, he is released on bail on the basis that he helps the authorities to trace his suppliers, but he decides to pull a fast one and that just ends up with him on the wrong end of a four year prison sentence. Now there’s no denying that life in the prison is brutal and the chief guard and slightly sexually ambiguous “Hamidou” (Paul L. Smith) has clearly got it in for the attractive young American and is aided and abetted by the odious prison Quisling “Rifki” (Paolo Bonacelli) who doesn’t much care for “Billy” either. Luckily, he does manage to make a few friends, not least the ailing Briton “Max” (John Hurt) and they manage to keep him on the straight and narrow for a while, but as some stomach-churning news reaches the young man on the verge of his release, it becomes clear that if he is to get out he is going to have to resort to more drastic action. What bothered me about this whole thing is that the entire premise seemed to be squarely attempting to illicit sympathy from us for this young man, even though he is undoubtedly guilty of his crime, by creating a culture amongst the Turks of obesity, brutishness, arbitrary violence and even a degree of depravity. At no point does Alan Parker make any effort to remind us that this real-life idiot was imprisoned because of his own actions - rather arrogant and selfish ones at that, too - and that perhaps the court was indeed trying to make an example of him to deter other likeminded individuals whose contempt for Turkey was just as culpable as his. Might we in the West not react the same if someone was caught here, and have we never seen films depicting atrocities in our own prisons? I don’t like being manoeuvred into a position where I’m encouraged to sympathise for a character just because of excess and exaggeration provided for creative licence. Davis, it also has to be said, looks easy enough on the eye but his acting prowess is ropey and inconsistent throughout. Indeed it’s really only Hurt and Bonacelli who can lay claim to any dramatic plaudits as this dark and gritty drama leads us by the nose. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime - even if you are an American!

Midnight Express (1978) - Original Trailer

Midnight Express( 1978)

Walk into the incredible true experience of Billy Hayes. And bring all the courage you can.

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A review by Bazzjazz

Written by Bazzjazz on Thu Apr 12 2018

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