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Midnight Express (1978) More at IMDbPro »

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197 comments in total

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145 out of 184 people found the following comment useful :-
Turkey: A nation of pigs worth destroying?, 26 August 2001
Author: Sun Tzu from Calgary, Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I must admit, after watching this for the first time, I had this feeling of contempt for Turks which lasted for a few months. I then decided to do some research into the real Billy Hayes' ordeal and found that, not surprising, most of the movie is full of exaggerations. Yet, I always find myself watching it again and again. Why? Because I admire at its effectiveness in demonizing the Turks through captivating drama. The Turks are literally depicted as pigs, Billy's racist speech in his last court appearance describes it best. Heck, the brutal head guard, Hamidou, is made to look like a fat pig, and his two sons looks like little piglets themselves! There's NO good Turks in the movie, even though Hayes in real life did make a couple of Turk friends while in prison. Instead, we have this annoying prick, Rifki, who is a constant thorn on Billy's side and perhaps the most hated character in the whole movie. I've seen many politically motivated movies like Seven Years in Tibet and Windhorse, both of which are targeted at the Chinese, but this one by far is the most effective. Having that said, many Americans feared to travel to Turkey when the movie was first released, like they're afraid of swimming in the waters after watching Jaws. Hence in the name of drama, the image of the Turkish people were sacrificed. Granted, the higly effective and well executed drama may deter people from smuggling drugs in a foreign country, but with the expense of Turkey as its driving force, does it make it a movie worthy of acadamy awards?

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63 out of 87 people found the following comment useful :-
Forget the propaganda: Film shows errors of both sides, 1 June 2004
Author: Sunny from USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I can't believe that so many reviews of Midnight Express have degenerated into exchanges of opposing political views that skirt over the film itself. While this may be based on a true story, like any good filmmaker, the director Alan Parker has shown the shades of gray here. The film's message, as far as any fair-minded viewer should discern it, is that the individual and the state (whether one's own or a foreign country) exist in a fragile state of consent with each other which requires fair and proportional responses on both sides. Neither side is totally in the right or the wrong here in Parker's film.

Billy Hayes is not a guiltless, red-blooded hero here and Parker doesn't portray him as such. Hayes committed what would have been a crime in any country-- smuggling heroin-- and he was caught and rightfully prosecuted. He has broken laws and must pay the price.

Just to be on the safe side--

-------------MINOR SPOILERS HERE-----------------------

Hayes is initially handed a sentence by the Turkish court-- approximately 4 years-- that would probably be considered fair in any civilised society for his activities. The prison is tough (it's not supposed to be a cakewalk), but Hayes accepts his punishment and overall stays out of trouble while in the prison. Then, with little more than two months left in his term, and the prospect of release dangling before him, a higher Turkish court-- for obscure and apparently contrived reasons (making someone an example)-- suddenly comes back basically saying he's going to spend the rest of his life in prison for his one earlier slip. At this point the moral compass, as it may be, shifts to Billy. He's done his time, he's behaved, he's accepted his punishment and it's hardships, and suddenly the rug is pulled out from under him.

To all the hot-bloods here who say Hayes was a rich American who deserved what he got-- have you ever heard of the concept of proportionality in law? Hayes did not commit a violent crime against anybody (both in terms of his initial act and up to the time the appellate court extended his sentence), he did not even commit a property crime like stealing or burglary. This is what Parker is saying-- Hayes was in the wrong for smuggling and was justly punished for those four years, but the arbitrary extension of his sentence close to his release, and the sheer length of the term (pretty much a lifer), are grossly disproportionate and unbecoming of a civilised society. In many if not most countries, even many killers are usually sentenced to far less than the 30 years that were suddenly tacked onto Hayes's term, and they don't experience the sort of sadistic torture meted out by the wardens in the jail in this film. It had the stink of scapegoating, and the rest of the film shows Hayes's desperate attempts to survive and escape a system that has become corrupt.

For what it's worth, I'm not an American and I don't in any way harbor illusions of superiority on the part of the West or East. One might make similar criticisms of things like the "3 Strikes Law" in the USA which are also pretty arbitrary. Parker isn't commenting on which civilization(s) is/are superior-- he's saying that there are some universal civil liberties that any civilised society should strive to, and societies both west and east fail when they deny them to the most vulnerable people, namely those sent to prison and stripped of even the freedom to mix with the general population. And note, furthermore, that the Turks in the prison (the vast majority) suffer as much as the foreigners. (BTW, to the commentators who've stupidly claimed that this film is merely "American propaganda"-- Alan Parker is British. If you're going to hurl an accusation like that, at least get such a basic fact straight.)

BTW I've been to Turkey and I've found the Turks to be among the world's most generous and kind people, esp to strangers. And sometimes I do wish that Parker had included more Turkish characters with more agreeable qualities, which (even in a prison) one would be likely to find (and I also found the "comparison to pigs" comment in the courtroom to be inappropriate). But Parker wanted to make this a gritty film with an air of desperation throughout, and for this reason alone one should be careful about extending what's seen in this film to the Turks as a whole.

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91 out of 145 people found the following comment useful :-
A Contemporary "Jude Suess", 4 February 2002
Author: Cinemanly

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").

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74 out of 132 people found the following comment useful :-
When you're busted for drugs over there!, 2 October 2002
Author: yenlo from Auburn, Me

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.

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50 out of 85 people found the following comment useful :-
What a tense movie!, 21 May 2002
Author: madmad from santa cruz, ca

It's interesting to note the comments on this movie.

I saw it on TV last night, not for the first time, and I noticed how the Turks in the film are all one-dimensional bad people, and physically ugly to boot. I also read that many of the scenes are completely fictional. I am not one of those people who think that a "true" story must be completely true; I think that the purpose of movies is to entertain, and this one certainly does that, if in a harrowing way. But, given the politics of our time, if the author of the screenplay wanted to create a demon people for dramatic effect, perhaps it would have been better to have set the story in a fictional or unidentified country.

The other observation I would make is, we are not much better than they are. We regularly sentence people to ungodly amounts of prison time for drug offenses, both on a state and federal level. Our prisons are no picnic, either, with many of the same sorts of things that were portrayed in the movie happening right here at home.

So, go check "the man in the mirror" before you condemn anyone else.

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32 out of 50 people found the following comment useful :-
Interview with the real Billy on YouTube!!!, 16 February 2007
Author: riffed04 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie claims to be based on a true story but just like many other Hollywood productions, it warps the truth to an unrecognizable mess. If you want to hear the real story behind the movie, you should see the interview with the real "Billy Hayes" on YouTube at:

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqPMI6BnINI&mode=related&search

The real "Billy Hayes" even says that he'd like to go back to Turkey to visit Istanbul. Now that's a slap on the face of the producers of the movie who have demonized all Turks for their personal gain of a statue. They would have received more Oscars if they portrayed the events in realistic terms as "Billy" explains in the interview.

In my opinion, the story of how the real "Billy" made it to the border after he ran away from the prison, would make a wonderful action/adventure movie. Of course, that's where the movie ends, having achieved its purpose of slandering a complete nation.

Down with Hollywood!! Long live YouTube for giving a voice to the suppressed truth!

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16 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
A good movie but keep in mind a near total fantasy., 10 September 2003
Author: Richard Hatch (bmscrh@ucrac1.ucr.edu) from Richard Hatch

I like this movie a lot. I believe it is well done and is a movie that can be watched several times. However, as a person who has spent time in Turkey and read the book upon which the film is based, I know that it is a fictional story. It begins with a caption "a true story" but the only thing true about this movie is that someone named Billy Hayes was caught trying to smuggle a lot of hashish out of the country and was sent to jail. The events that supposedly happened to him in prison are fictional. I'm not saying that being in a Turkish prison is a good thing but the brutality presented is just plain fiction. Before you feel sorry for this guy remember that he was trying to smuggle drugs for re-sale in the US. Before you condemn Turkey remember that at the time Turkey was being pressured by the world community, particularly by the US, to do something about the drug flow coming out of the country. This is one movie that infuriates the Turkish government whenever it is shown and I believe rightly so because it caters to the notion that Turkey is some type or barbaric nation with a population that is incapable of human emotion or decency. Having lived in Turkey I know this to be totally false. In addition, with the exception of the skyline of Istanbul in the opening scene, none of the movie was filmed in Turkey. All of the Turks portrayed in the film, with the exception of the prosecutor, are Italian actors. The language spoken in the movie is not even Turkish for the most part. There are some phrases which are indeed Turkish but the majority of what is spoken is some other language. As I said however, I like this movie, in the same way that I like Star Trek; a great story but fiction none the less.

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11 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Amazing movie, but not covers truth., 11 August 2001
Author: Baris Cicek from Ankara, Turkey

Midnight Express is really impressing and depressing movie. It's really must be seen, it shows the importance of human rights to whom don't care about it. I wish writer of script hadn't used realnames like Turkey. Because, as a person who lives in Turkey, I'm sure that there's no such a torture methods and implemantation in Turkey. There are just writer's imaginations. Other than that, ppl should see this film.

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7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Great, But Stereotyping and Not Completely True, 14 April 2003

Author: chthon2 from Orlando, USA

Based on a book by William Hayes, we follow him, as played by Brad Davis, on his trip into a Turkish prison and his eventual escape. Alan Parker does a wonderful job directing, and, from an artistic point of view, Oliver Stone wrote a truly good and unique script.

There are some problems, though. Hayes himself said some time after this film that most of the bad things that happened to Davis in the film never happened to him. One of the guards was mean to them, and he got in a fight with another prisoner in his first week, but that was it. Stone greatly exagerated the truth here, although if you've seen anything else Stone has done, you know that's normal for him.

This is also very stereotyping. The real Hayes was not a racist, and even though there aren't many gay people in Turkey, it isn't banned. All the Turkish characters are also ugly and mean; they could have at least made one of his cell mates to humanize them a bit. Turkish prisons are also no as bad as this; to get a more accurate picture, see Yol (1982).

Regardless, this film is a classic and enjoyable if you're not Turkish. The acting is superb, and Peter Jeffrey as Ahmet is fantastic in his cameo. The film is done well, we're with Billy all the way (he broke the law, but suffered far too much for it), and the fight scene with Billy and Rifki is the most realistic and violent fight scene in the history of film in any country, ever. That fight scene will haunt me at night for the rest of my life.

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16 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Parker shows splendidly the terrible world of the Turkish prison..., 7 February 2009

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

"Midnight Express" is the upsetting true story of an American youth detained at Istanbul Airport trying to smuggle several packets of hashish… This terrific movie based on Hayes' book details the terrible story of his severe experience and final escape…

Brad Davis puts on view the frustration, anxiety and severe mental suffering of a tragic figure... He stands shaking with fear in a small enclosed chamber…

At the court, Davis' looks were lacking energy and interest... His voice trembled with rage and affliction when he delivered a despairing frantic speech accusing the prosecuting attorney and the judge...

In a prison of desolation, he refuses to accept one captive's advances; he steals an informer's money for revenge; and gives a harsh lesson in brutality on one oppressor...

Paul Smith plays beautifully the brutal and sadistic head-guard... Being of nature cruel and heartless, this bald man is vindictive and indifferent to the truth... He is cruel, vicious, unjust, and verbally abusive...

The Turkish prison is seen as an environment so dirty, horrific and inhuman, clouded by rape, beatings, stress and punishment... Parker permits the cruel prison guards—characterized by their aggressive, cynical, and inflexible behavior—to speak in Turkish since this situation can easily create hopelessness, frustration, hatred and despair...

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