Midnight Express (1978) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Midnight Express is the harrowing story of Billy Hayes, a young American tourist condemned to a Turkish prison for his futile attempt to smuggle hashish out of the country. Made an example of by a corrupt legal system and a victim of ineffectual diplomacy, Hayes is sentenced to 30 years and must overcome ruthless brutality and his own descent into madness in order to survive and, hopefully, escape.

Nominated for six 1978 Academy Awards, and winner for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score, Midnight Express is led by the powerful direction of Alan Parker (Mississippi Burning, Evita), with searing performances from Brad Davis, John Hurt and Randy Quaid. It is an unforgettable look at one of the most dangerous prisons in the world, and one mans fight to get home.

User Comment: Sun Tzu from Calgary, Canada, 26 August 2001 • *** This review 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?

Summary: Turkey: A nation of pigs worth destroying?

[CSW] -3- Very effective at creating a feeling of hopelessness, but once is more than enough.

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