Midnight Express (1978)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

Billy Hayes (book) and
William Hoffer (book) ...

Release Date:

6 October 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A story of triumph.

Plot:

Story of a man who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Prison | Turkey | Bastinado | Life Imprisonment

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Brad Davis	...	Billy Hayes
Irene Miracle	...	Susan
Bo Hopkins	...	Tex
Paolo Bonacelli	...	Rifki
Paul L. Smith	...	Hamidou (as Paul Smith)
Randy Quaid	...	Jimmy Booth
Norbert Weisser	...	Erich
John Hurt	...	Max
Mike Kellin	...	Mr. Hayes
Franco Diogene	...	Yesil
Michael Ensign	...	Stanley Daniels
Gigi Ballista	...	Chief Judge
Kevork Malikyan	...	Prosecutor
Peter Jeffrey	...	Ahmet
Joe Zammit Cordina

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Maltese | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 (cut) | Iceland:16 | Spain:18 | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:18 | Germany:16 (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1996) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1999) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1978) | France:-16 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Fort St.Elmo, Valletta, Malta

Company:

Casablanca Filmworks

Trivia:

According to Alan Parker, this was the most grueling shoot of his career - 53 days with cast and crew working 6-day weeks.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The "fez" hat worn by several Turkish men in the movie has been extremely rare in Turkey since 1925 when it was abolish by Kemal Ataturk (the leader and founder of the Republic of Turkey) in an attempt to "westernize" the country. This was one of the reform actions of those times.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Susan makes her way through a line at an airline checkpoint]
Susan: Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me.
[she reaches Billy in line]
Susan: Nervous?
Billy Hayes: No.
Susan: Geez, I hate flying.
Billy Hayes: It's something I ate. I think I've been poisoned.
Susan: Or you're just excited about getting home.
Billy Hayes: No, I think it's the baklavas.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: Ballrooms and Biscotti (#4.1)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Istanbul Blues

When you're busted for drugs over there!

While this film is entertaining to watch and has its level of suspense at various points it is not a truly `true story' much of it according to the real Billy Hayes never happened and his eventual escape is very different from what is depicted in this motion picture. It also tends to demonize the nation of Turkey and presents a distorted view of its people. Is it possible to have sympathy for the main character? He was fully aware of what he was doing and knew the consequences should he be caught so sympathy is on an individual basis. You may have sympathy or may not.

A number of years ago a public service commercial narrated by actor Hal Holbrook frequently ran on Television, which told of Americans being held in foreign prisons. He spoke of one American held in a Turkish prison. Was it Billy Hayes? The commercial ends with the line `When you're busted for drugs over there you're in for the hassle of your life' That's the message this film was intended to send out irregardless if the events in it were true or fictionalized for dramatic purposes. As always purchase or rent a copy to see the uncut unedited version.