Midnight Express

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film
Review: I am completely amazed by the number of reviews which seem to reguard Midnight Express as a badly made film because it presents a negative portrait of Turkey or because it is only loosely rather than strictly based on the original book. The real question is "Does the film work within the framework it establishes?" And the answer to that is a resounding yes. Whether or not you believe the story is true, whether or not you believe the film is unreasonably negative toward the Turkish people, the film works. Davis is quite remarkable in his performance; the action is tense, taunt; the cinematography is unexpected lyrical. It is a film to be savored with repeat viewings.

Rating:
Summary: extremely biased and full of complete misrepresentations
Review: There are a few major problems with this movie: 1) Oliver Stone admitted on TV that parts of this movie were made up or exaggerated. 2) If somebody was caught trying to smuggle 5 pounds of cocaine (or whatever MAJOR drug) across the U.S. into Canada and was caught and put in prison (and then raped and abused etc.) and a movie was made about this by the Iranians (or any country that does not like the U.S.) would this movie represent the American people and the standards of living in the U.S. ? Definitely not! 3) The movie tries to convince its audience that Turks act, dress, and look like a cross between the Klingons and Osama Bin Laden. This is a gross misrepresentation. The majority of Turks are Europeanized, secular and meditteranean looking. 4) The characters in the movie could not speak a word of Turkish properly. Aside from these "minor" issues it is altogether not too bad! I would not take my date to this movie though, and I usually don't have time to watch such depressing film of this genre. They used to make movies like this in the Soviet Union in the 1960's for propaganda purposes. Anybody with a basic knowledge of Turkey and filmmaking will see right through this "fine specimen of moviemaking." Who were Stone and Parker kidding ?!? Try at your own risk.

Rating:
Summary: Real Rating = ZERO!
Review: He got caught with drugs! Am I supposed to feel sorry for him? I don't think so! If you can't do the time, then don't do the crime! This low-life just wants to stab back at Turkey for his mistake. I am an American living in Turkey and it is a wonderful country. This movie does nothing more than show Turkey in a bad light. What do you think happens when you get caught with drugs in America? They slap you on the wrist and send you home?! I don't think so. Save your money and get another film!

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Motion Picture Experience.
Review: Alan Parker's "Midnight Express" is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. It gives a powerful message about messing with drugs in a foreign country. But unlike other films that feature the hero in trouble in another land like "Red Corner," which softened it's approach, "Midnight Express" is frighteningly realistic. You are glued to your seat and shaken by some chilling thrills. The film is also hypnotically watchable due to the amazing cinematography, camera work, and music by Giorgio Moroder (Scarface). This is an excellent piece of film that will leave you moved and stunned as well as frightened. I was deeply impacted. "Midnight Express" is a film that gives a message while at the same time giving an incredibly emotional story. It's all the more incredible because it's true. Oliver Stone's screenplay is powerful and amazing writing. "Midnight Express" is a powerful motion picture experience that you will never forget.

Rating:
Summary: Oliver Stone's first signs of brilliance
Review: Finally got around to seeing this and was very impressed. The story is compelling, the performances are excellent, and the score is haunting, but ultimately it is Stone's tight, effective screenplay that makes this movie work so well. No, it does not give a very favorable impression of the Turkish people, but given the circumstances of the prisons there at this time, it is probably realistic. The "pigs" courtroom speech is absolutely true to how Hayes would have felt at that point. A perceptive viewer would understand the context of his speech and assume that in reality not all Turks are pigs. Context is everything. Ultimately, though, that doesn't have much to do with the point of the movie. It documents in painstaking detail the brutality and the suffering this young man went through.

Rating:
Summary: A True Story?
Review: When you see this movie, it makes you wonder how come ALL Turkish characters in the movie are ugly dumb sadistical perverts (and also pigs, in the main character's "Address to a Nation", in a courtroom scene). Even in the 1950s anti-communist era movies you come by sensible russian spies or pretty russian girls, along with nasty Igors or Ivans. This racist element was perhaps florished in Oliver Stone's mind, to provoke the public interest and sympathy on a drug smuggler by trashing a relatively unknown nation, betting late 70s drug relaxed public would love it (I sometimes wonder how the public would react to this movie if it was released in Reagan's War on Drugs era). I give some credit to Alan Parker for the way he exploited all this to provoke public sentiment. However I do not understand how Oliver Stone got an Oscar for twisting a story to make it sell, in expense of a nation's defamation (then again who cares about that in Hollywood), and turning it into a weak plot and an even weaker ending. If you wanna read the True Story (as true as it can get I guess) go read Billy Hayes' book. If you want to watch the movie just keep these words by Joseph Goebbels (Hitler's Propoganda Minister) in mind: "The bigger the lie , the more they believe it"

Rating:
Summary: Watching This Movie is Wasting Valuable Time
Review: If you have nothing to do, better than watching a dark, biased and totally boring movie then go ahead, waste your money and time. I wonder how the members of the Academy give these guys an Oscar.

Rating:
Summary: I would give it 0 if I could
Review: Is it at all surprising that the screenplay was written by Oliver Stone. Stone loves to do movies that are historical lie (JFK and Nixon, etc.) Billy Hayes is a drug addict and a drug smuggler, this was not his only time. He was violent, hateful,egotistical, racist, and guilty as hell. I do not feel sorry for him one bit and that is what this film wants you to do. I wish he wouldn't have escaped after all. I have been to Turkey several times and have lived there as well. This is not an acurate or fair look at this beautiful country. Hayes is a monumental liar who is biased beyond belief. One of my biggest problems with the film is the escape sceen. I am all to familar with the sexual mores of Turkey, being a homosexual myself, I assure you a homosexual trist between him and a guard is very unlikely and almost completely unbelievable considering Turkish views on homosexuality and how Turks are socialized when it comes to sexuality. The movie is so full of lies that I am hard pressed to beleive any of it, other than the fact that Billy Hayes was in prison. One last thing, the Turkish is this film is very strange, the accents are weird and I didn't see the names of any Turks who worked on the film. Which makes sense who would want to work on a film that slanders your country. This film stinks.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific and realistic view of a Turkish prison
Review: The Turkish prison system, like many others, in developing (?) countries have little if any regard basic human rights, let alone legal rights.At the time this happened I had a friend who was married to a Turkish women, they had twins-born in the US.When the wife w/children attempted to leave the country the children, boys, were not allowed to leave-they were considered Turkish citizens. US State Dept did nothing; finally a signifnicant bribe was made to several officials to release the children.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Movie!
Review: Brad Davis got snubbed but should have been nominated and won the Best Actor Academy Award. It's too bad he passed away before being recognized for his talent as an actor. This movie is a true gem, and Davis' performance is riveting. Well written, acted and directed. A must see!