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Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins ... see more see more... , Paul L. Smith , Mike Kellin , Gigi Ballista , Paolo Bonacelli , Franco Diogene , Michael Ensign , Peter Jeffrey , Kevork Malikyan , Norbert Weisser , Michael Yannatos , Dimos Starenios

Midnight Express is a harrowing tale of a naïve American caught in a nightmare of his own making thousands of miles from his home. Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) is an American tourist visiting Turkey with ... read more read more...his girlfriend Susan (Irene Miracle) when he's caught by customs officials trying to smuggle a large amount of hashish out of the country. The crime would normally carry a sentence of four years, but officials decide to make an example of Billy, and he draws a 30-year sentence despite the promises of his Turkish legal counsel. While Susan and Billy's father (Mike Kellin) pledge to do everything they can to speed Billy's release, in fact there's little than can be done. Billy quickly finds himself in a hellish prison that's a nightmare of filth, violence, rape, inedible food, and unspeakable health conditions. However, Billy gains a few confidantes behind bars: Jimmy (Randy Quaid), an American in a constant state of emotional overdrive; Max (John Hurt), an intelligent, drug-addicted Englishman; and Erich (Norbert Weisser), a gay Scandinavian who is attracted to Billy but accepts his gentle refusals of sex. Before long, Billy is convinced that he can take no more, and he makes plans to take the "midnight express" -- jailhouse slang for escape. While his friends are willing to help, they also make clear that almost no one who has tried to escape has lived to tell the tale. Based on a true story, Midnight Express was a box-office hit which won wide acclaim for the performances of Brad Davis and John Hurt; and the screenplay, by Oliver Stone, won an Academy Award. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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88% liked it

28,943 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

21 critics

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Alan Parker

Release Date: September 20, 1978

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DVD Release Date: May 22, 2001

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Stats: 1,578 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,578)

  • helpahorse
    December 16, 2011
    helpahorse
    Yeah it was pretty good. The acting was amazing and there were a lot of suspenseful moments.

    Does anyone really understand the meaning of BASED ON A TRUE STORY?? The original story for this movie was interesting already, so I don't understand why they changed a bunch of thing... read mores around. So much in this movie is so wrong, I hardly consider it "based on a true" anything. I'm just really disappointed that it deviates from the source material so much. I felt that the stuff they added into the film made it really unrealistic.

    Other than the stuff they added, I felt like this was a pretty solid movie.
  • fb619846742
    November 10, 2011
    fb619846742
    A damning, swift kick to international justice systems, dealing with a young drug-smuggler (Brad Davis) who is dealt more than what he should be in his sentence to a Turkish prison, where he encounters torture on a daily basis and insanity creeping in ever so slowly. This is a ph... read moreenomenal drama that rests firmly on the shoulders of Davis, whose slow-burn performance is utterly gripping. At first you don't like this guy, he's just some punk kid who probably could use a lesson. However, as the film goes on and you begin to see the injustices that occur routinely, it is hard not to sympathize with this character. Sure, some of the events that occur in this movie might be a little overdone, but as a character study and as an exercise in how insanity takes over after a certain time period or traumatic event, this film is a stunning piece of work. Davis really makes this film, it is a shame he died at such a young age (41 in 1991), the man absolutely had a great talent, and he is the biggest reason as to why this film is as important as it is today when it comes to looking at prison systems.
  • imrealgod
    December 29, 2010
    imrealgod
    Pretty good fictionalization of the factual events. The movie got me pretty much involved in it. At certain parts, I felt too concerned for the characters & was constantly feeling, "Hey, don't do it, you don't know the consequences if you're caught". I was almost absorbed in the ... read moremovie and too. I don't know I'd have liked it as much as I did if it wasn't *based* on true story. Then again, it wasn't as great as another prisoner-escape movie 'Escape From Alcatraz' (one of my favorites).
  • garyX
    July 28, 2010
    garyX
    Midnight Express is the true story of a young American who is caught trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey and is made an example of by the courts and left to rot in a Turkish prison. Alan Parker's extremely bleak prison drama is probably a little light on historical accuracy (it... read more was adapted by Oliver Stone from a book written by the prisoner himself, hardly the most objective viewpoints) but strong on atmosphere and tone. It's one of those films where you start thinking "this isn't so bad", but whenever hope is presented, the rug is yanked from under them resulting in a spiralling sense of hopelessness and degradation. Parker's direction has a great use of location and composition and the central performances believable, but it does have a few weaknesses; the soundtrack is clumsy and intrusive and the "forbidden love" montage that probably seemed so daring at the time now seems very, very lame. It has also been accused of racism as the Turkish guards are shown as such sadists, but then again, this is a prison drama so you're not exactly going to see the best a society has to offer. A grimly solid prison drama that can be a little heavy on the melodrama, but it works.
  • dreamfaeries
    June 1, 2010
    dreamfaeries
    Pure hell, which was to be expected. I didn't want to see this at first, but once it was on the screen I really became engulfed in Billy's ordeal and life. I think everyone should see this classic at least once in their life.
  • puffchunk
    December 9, 2009
    puffchunk
    It's what you'd expect. Turkish prisons suck. Entertaining because i'm a sucker for prison movies. This is one of the first prison movie I've seen where instead of getting raped in the shower first, he just becomes bi all by himself. There's just something wrong about a young... read more Randy Quaid too.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Unforgettable true story, written, acted and directed with brilliant craftsmanship. A classic.
  • phubbs1
    July 18, 2009
    phubbs1
    Another very harrowing real life tale, this time in a Turkish prison. This film is deeply depressing and very very harsh going.
    The brutality and corruption on show here is sky high, wether fully true is the question yet it works extremely well for the film and makes you happy y... read moreou weren't there. Davis is tremendous and shows the full scale of human emotion as he enters hell. Hurt and Quaid offer excellent support as do the rest of the realistic cast. The film is grim and dirty, you can almost smell the fear and sweat, its actually very unpleasant and makes you very uncomfortable, Stone succeeds 100%
    a real nightmare and true classic, but will upset you, be brave.
  • flixsterman
    May 1, 2009
    flixsterman
    Look, I know this is no Turkish travelogue and there are millions of bleeding hearts out there who feel that Billy Hayes got a raw deal, but if you ask my opinion I think that five years in a Turkish prison is getting off pretty light. For gosh sakes, the man was smuggling drugs... read more(!). This film, as controversial as it is, probably did as much damage to Turkey's illegal hashish trade as it did to it's international tourism.
  • sononothing
    August 27, 2008
    sononothing
    When you hear of a movie that's set in a Turkish prison the first thing that pops into your mind is "man love". Sorry, that's not what Midnight Express is about. Alan Parker's film is an examination of Billy Hayes' five years in hell. Brad Davis burns brightly in the lead and is ... read moresupported by Randy Quaid and a great John Hurt. Parker's dark memoir of this Hades will send you reeling as Hayes is beaten down further and further into he finally goes off the wall. A great piece of film.

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Critic Reviews

Wesley Lovell
August 15, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

It defined the hell of a Turkish prison whil portraying the humanity needed to survive such a terrible place. Full Review

James Kendrick
July 22, 2009
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

a brutal and brutalizing film whose effects have diminished little in the decades since its controversial theatrical release in the late 1970s Full Review

Peter Canavese
July 21, 2009
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Strong stuff indeed...swells proportional sight and sound subjectively to convey Hayes' nightmarish experience but also hypes up a story that probably doesn't need the help. [Blu-ray] Full Review

James Plath
July 19, 2009
James Plath, Movie Metropolis

A solid prison film that feels so real that if you heard a voiceover you'd swear it was a documentary. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
March 26, 2009
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Horrific scenes of prison brutality and powerful acting by Brad Davis as the American Billy Hayes help make up for the shortcomings in Alan Parker's sensationalistic tale and Oliver Stone's factual in... Full Review

Cole Smithey
February 21, 2008
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

Despite the negative hullabaloo "Midnight Express" provoked for its brutal characterization of Turkish prison officials, director Alan Parker's rendering of Oliver Stone's exploitation screenplay is a... Full Review

Kent Turner
February 8, 2008
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com

Director Alan Parker's right. His 1978 riveting prison drama still holds up. Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
October 5, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

Searing and unforgettable. A harrowing descent into a real-life hell that's so relentlessly intense it will leave you feeling drained.

Christopher Null
August 7, 2005
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

All modern-day jail flicks owe it a debt. Full Review

Rich Cline
May 13, 2005
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

harrowing and involving

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Midnight Express Trivia

  • Who composed the music for the movie 'Midnight Express'?  Answer »
  • What actor/actress was in ALL 3 of these movies? THE ELEPHANT MAN CONTACT MIDNIGHT EXPRESS  Answer »
  • In the movie, "Midnight Express", what country did the main character get arrested in?  Answer »
  • How does Brad Davis kill his prison guard when trying to escape in Midnight Express?   Answer »
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