Midnight Express

Wow. This was disturbing. I live in Nottingham, I have many Turkish friends who study here. If I didn't know them, I'd probably think that there wasn't a single Turk who is nice and pleasant... Some parts were actually funny. The judge (in Billy's hate monologue scene) was sounding exactly like Jabba the Hutt! I've heard people speak Turkish around me, so I knew the language which was supposed to be Turkish in the movie, wasn't. Come on people... Feels like this movie was made to make Turks look bad in every way possible. I've read an interview and I learnt that the real Billy Hayes was truly disappointed with the portrayal of Turkish people in the film. Anyway, this movie was fun to watch but would be ignorant to believe. Have a good one

Midnight Express is really impressing and depressing movie. It's really must be seen, it shows the importance of human rights to whom don't care about it. I wish writer of script hadn't used realnames like Turkey. Because, as a person who lives in Turkey, I'm sure that there's no such a torture methods and implemantation in Turkey. There are just writer's imaginations. Other than that, ppl should see this film.

First of all im turkish and i have seen this movie for several times. I LIKE it and i simply know what other people think about this movie. If they are turkish, they simply hate the movie and tell that its giving the turkish nation a bad name. If they are not turkish then they start to think about bad things about turks. And thats normal. BUT!!!! The main problem of the movies is not that its not showing true things. The main problem of the movie is that it tells the things that happaned to the main characters happened cause he is AMERICAN. I think thats the wrong thing about this movie. If bad things happen to americans in turkish jails then bad things happen to turkish people in jails too. I dont think that they would harras someone MORE just cause he is AMERICAN. Im turkish and i know that turkish people dont hate americans, like most of the other muslim countries. Also, this movie is 20 years old. I think many things changed in Turkey in this past 20 years. Come to Turkey, then you can Judge as much as you can. truth or fiction. I! LIKE! THIS! MOVIE!

I found an old VHS tape of this film among my film collection: I don't think I've watched it for 30 years so I put it in the machine. I thought it was a strong movie with good performances and held up very well. I've always liked the music. I was amazed to read the reviews and find that the film was treated like a cinematic diatribe against Turkey and the Turkish people. The film is not about Turkey. That's simply the setting. it's no more about the Turkish people than "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang", "Cool Hand Luke" or "The Shawshank Redemption" is about the American people.

The film works on two levels. It's about a guy who foolishly decides to ignore the laws of a foreign country and smuggle hashish from ti to make some quick money. He gets caught and confronts a series of policemen, lawyers, judges and prison guards, none of them sympathetic characters. Those are the "Turkish people" presented to him and to us. They are little different from the sort of people who would hold those jobs in any country, including ours. A couple of prisoners make comments about disliking Turks but that's because this is their experience of them. There's no implications that all of the Turkish people are like these characters. On this level the film is just a stark reminder that if you travel to a foreign country you must be aware of and obey their laws. Just because you are an American, you have no special status.

The other level of the film and the part that makes it special is the psychological. the "Midnight Express" is not a train but it's not just an escape attempt. When Billy winds up in the asylum, he gets into a battle to hold on to his mind. He doesn't want to be a "bad machine", which is the other way to escape his dismal reality. he's losing that battle when his girlfriend show up to give him hope and reason to use it. That's what the movie is really about.

Among the three or four best movies ever made about prison. And also the best Alan Parker's work, the most prestigious, terrific, with the famous score that will never stop being listened to in the world. It is a tremendous, riveting, tense, disturbing piece of art - not work, ART - which we review now. It must be seen at all costs. It was maintained in movie theaters in Paris for decades, since 1978...Decades. I am sure you still can go and see it. Since its release, back in 1978...That's a purely a gem, a hit in the face, a mind blowing and jaw dropping movie, and inspired from actual events. With also, I admit, just a bit of fiction. Just a bit...