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Midnight Express
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0043396226098
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Item Dimensions: 100
Label: Sony Pictures
Languages: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 MonoFrench (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1Maltese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
MPN: COLD22609D
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: February 05, 2008
Running Time: 121 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 1978
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Editorial Review:
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 10/28/2008 Run time: 121 minutes Rating: R
Forever embroiled in controversy, Midnight Express divides viewers into opposing camps: those who think it's one of the most intense real-life dramas ever made, and those who abhor its manipulative tactics and alteration of facts for the exploitative purpose of achieving a desired effect. That effect is powerfully achieved, regardless of how you may feel about director Alan Parker and Oscar®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone's interpretation of the story of Billy Hayes. It was the American Hayes--played by the late Brad Davis in an unforgettable performance--who was caught smuggling two kilograms of hashish while attempting to board a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, in 1970. He was sentenced to four years in a hellish Turkish prison on a drug possession charge, but his sentence was later extended (though not by 30 years, as the film suggests), and Hayes endured unthinkable brutality and torture before his escape in 1975.
Unquestionably, this is a superbly crafted film, provoking a visceral response that's powerful enough to boil your blood. By the time Hayes erupts in an explosion of self-defensive violence, Parker and Stone have proven the power--and danger--of their skill. Their film is deeply manipulative, extremely xenophobic, and embellishes reality to heighten its calculated impact. Is that a crime? Not necessarily, and there's no doubt that Midnight Express is expertly directed and blessed with exceptional supporting performances (especially from John Hurt as a long-term prisoner). Still, it's obvious that strings are being pulled, and Parker, while applying his talent to a nefarious purpose, is a masterful puppeteer. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Truth is the first victim of war, and Stone is at war...
Stone won't make himself vulnerable to anyone or the facts, whether that means eliminating all JFK conspiracy theories other than his own or simplifying a story and people as he has done here in Midnight Express. Stone borrowed Billy Hayes' real story of being held in a Turkish prison for several years after being caught smuggling hashish, and hijacked it to devastating effect. [I focus on screenwriter Stone instead of director Parker because the substance of Hayes' original book was altered by Stone ... Read More
Rating:  - Clash of Freedoms
"Midnight Express" is a true story of a 20 year old American Billy Hayes, who tried to smuggle two kilograms of hashish out of Turkey. Billy got searched at the Istanbul Airport, and the Turkish police arrested Billy. In return for cooperation the police offered leniency, which Billy accepted. Unfortunately, Billy tried to escape while cooperating with local authorities. Billy now has to face the wrath of the Turkish justice system, which mainly wants to make an example out of foreigners, especially ... Read More
Rating: - the "shawshank redemption" of the 1970's
This film is horrifying, depressing, enraging, frustrating and somehow hopeful. It is a movie-going experiance that you will never forget. After seeing it five times over the past few years, I am still blown-away with each viewing. It is a very rare occurance when a film is this overwhelmingly powerful.
Rating:  - A powerful film - then and now.
Midnight Express - coming out in '78 - gave us a cinematic view into the Middle East that the three-network evening news at the time didn't provide. The clash of cultures and values in this movie really stood in contrast to the "malaise" period in America (as Jimmy Carter put it). The film became more relevant when it was on television a few years later during the Iranian hostage crisis, with the clash of cultures playing out in real life. The idea of hell being a "Turkish prison" was popularized with this ... Read More
Rating: - Midnight Express: The Billy Hayes Story!
Midnight Express is the 1978 film adaptation to the autobiographical book by Billy Hayes. The book and film tell of Hayes' attempt to smuggle drugs out of Turkey through an airplane flight.
I first saw this film a long time ago in a health class shown to the class as part of a drug lesson. I have always been a big fan of "Based on true stories films" so I saw this with an opened mind. I didn't expect it, however, to be this good!
Brad Davis' portrayal of Billy Hayes is one to be remembered. ... Read More
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