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Midnight Express

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Midnight Express

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Summary

Drama based on a true story, starring Brad Davis, Randy Quaid and John Hurt. In 1970, American student Billy Hayes is arrested at Istanbul airport for possessing drugs and subsequently sentenced to four years' imprisonment. As efforts to free him get under way, Hayes is forced to endure barbaric treatment in a squalid Turkish prison.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

David Parkinson

It's hard to counter some of the criticisms about the sympathetic depiction of drug traffickers, the pitiless violence, the stereotypical representation of the Turkish jailers and the oversimplistic approach to the key issues raised that greeted this film on its release. Yet it is still a superbly staged drama, which exploits its excesses to force the viewer into considering the broader moral and humanitarian themes, as well as the harrowing events on the screen. Scripted by the Oscar-winning Oliver Stone from the memoirs of Billy Hayes, it is directed with power and intelligence by Alan Parker and expertly played. Brad Davis is outstanding in the lead as the American student who is sent to a Turkish jail after being convicted of drug trafficking, and also excellent are Randy Quaid and an Oscar-nominated John Hurt as fellow prisoners. Giorgio Moroder's electronic score won the film's second Oscar, though it now seems a touch strident at times.

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7.5/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameBilly HayesBrad DavisJimmy BoothRandy QuaidMaxJohn HurtSusanIrene MiracleTexBo HopkinsRifkiPaolo BonacelliHamidouPaul Smith (2)ErichNorbert WeisserMr HayesMike KellinYesilFranco Diogene

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Crew

rolenameDirectorAlan Parker

Details

Released on

1978-08-10

Languages

English | French | Turkish

Guidance

Violence, swearing, drug abuse, sex scenes and nudity.

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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