Midnight Express

Midnight Express is a 1978 biographical film, based on the story of Billy Hayes, a young American sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey to the US. It stars Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli, Paul L. Smith, Randy Quaid, Norbert Weisser and John Hurt.

Quotes About The Movie

"Turkish prison. If that term conjures up thoughts of a chaotic hell, it could well be because of the movie, Midnight Express. Midnight Express is the term coined for one of the few means of exit from a Turkish prison: escape. The movie is based on the real life imprisonment of William Hayes (Brad Davis) for the crime of drug possession. Promised a three-year sentence in dismal conditions, Hayes finds out that his sentence has been appealed and replaced with a 30-year term. The film shows how much one man can survive in an environment where misery, filth and torture are routine. The depths Hayes sinks to express how far he must fall before this tale comes to a close."

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Mike DeWolfe, Apollo Guide.

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"This story could have happened in almost any country, but if Billy Hayes had planned to be arrested to get the maximum commercial benefit from it, where else could he get the advantages of a Turkish jail? Who wants to defend Turks? (They don't even constitute enough of a movie market for Columbia Pictures to be concerned about how they are represented.)" (Pauline Kael, "When The Lights Go Down," 1980, p.499).

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It won Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Score (Giorgio Moroder) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Stone), and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hurt), Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture.

Related Topics:
Academy Awards - Best Music, Original Score - Giorgio Moroder - Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Best Director - Best Film Editing - Best Picture

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