Rating: 
Summary: Horrifying...
Review: The only word I can think of to accurately describe this film. Midnight Express at its' core is an expose not of the Turkish prison system but of the brutality that man is capable of. Based on true events, Midnight Express follows the life of American Billy Hayes, who is caught trying to smuggle a small amount of hashish on to his plane. Needless to say he is caught and sentenced to serve time in a Turkish prison. Billy endures endless torture both physical and mental during his tenure in the prison. There is one particularly beastly guard who looks like James Gandolfini from the Sopranos; anyway this guard loves to whoop up on the prisoners, especially the Americans. The film takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions with plenty of twists and turns. The film score is nothing short of haunting. The use of sound and music in this film add a whole other level of horror to an already hellish situation. Some film buffs might also notice Randy Quaid in one of his earliest film roles as another American imprisoned with Billy. Overall, Midnight Express left me with a sick feeling. It challenges the viewer to endure countless acts of violence and brutality and yet still believe in the strength of the human spirit. A must own for any serious DVD collector. Highly Recommended.
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Summary: Brad Davis Deserved An Oscar Nomination
Review: Why Brad Davis did not receive an Oscar nomination, I can't understand. Well, he DID kiss another man and even though Hollywood is filled with homosexuals, the industry is very homophobic. What a shame. This was a glorious performance. Likewise, Davis' bravery in the realm of homosex in "Querelle" was also ignored by the Oscars. In that film, he went "all out" having sex with men and tongue-kissing to boot! Great acting in "Boys in the Band" was completely ignored in 1972 by the Academy, so I shouldn't be surprised at this particular snub. Women and homosex is excused, of course. I recommend this film mainly because it warns people, who might break laws in other countries, NOT to take a chance. Once you are stuck in a foreign prison, your country might not be sympathetic towards you, an American lawbreaker and embarrassment (remember, they have better things to do). Americans have this notion that they are "special". We have a warped idea of what it is being American. People in other countries are NOT impressed by us. We are considered the most racist country on the planet and we are embarrassed by our toothless racists that expose themselves to the world in the media. This movie tells you: KEEP YOUR BUTT OUT OF TROUBLE IN A FOREIGN LAND.
Rating: 
Summary: Human Rights are neglected in Turkey
Review: This movie demonstrates the true nature of how horrible human rights are in Turkey. The Turkish prisons are actually much worse than its portrayal in this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: BRUTALLY DISHONEST FILM.
Review: "Midnight Express" certainly takes a lot of liberties with the truth. I have always thought that films of this type should go one of two ways. Either they should use an event as inspiration and nothing more or they should make a movie that is factually truthful and keep artistic license to a minimum. Unfortunately, this film tries to make the viewer believe that it is being truthful when in reality it often isn't. As you probably know, "Midnight Express" is the movie based on the book by Billy Hayes (and his ghostwriter). Billy was busted at an Istanbul airport trying to smuggle hashish out of the country. He ends up in a brutal Turkish prison for many years until his eventual escape. It's hard to enjoy the movie for what it could've been because it is factually untrue in several places. Sadly, multiple animals died during filming...which makes you wonder just how brutal some Americans can be as well.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I don't think that I'll be visiting Turkey soon......
Rating:
Summary: Express a memorable run
Review: Although the film is manipulative (as most films are in their own way), it's pacing and haunting music score make it worth seeing and ultimately adding to your archives. The movie is not as faithful to the story as it could have been, but this is great film-making by Alan Parker. The cast is outstanding and the script riveting. A must see. It does not glamorize drugs or
imply the original arrest was unjust. My only complaint is that it is in mono and the color transfer is poor.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most disturbing, yet powerful films
Review: This movie brings us into the terror that William Hayes experienced in a Turkish prison in the early seventies after attempting to smuggle hash from that country. I know after the book was published, it caused radical changes in the Turkish prison system and Turkey released many foreign nationals from incarceration. We cannot compare the Turkey of the early 1970's to the Turkey of today, which is a modern cosmopolitan environment. I think the movie wouldn't have the same affect with a lesser actor than the enormously talented, under-appreciated and late Brad Davis as William Hayes. I found that he had a boy-like innocence, and I was compelled to feel very protective of him, despite his drug smuggling. He has some Oscar caliber performances, in particular one where he goes into a pathological rage and bites the tongue off of another inmate. I have never seen such monumental fury like that on film. Another scene that gripped me was his bitter statement before the Turkish court as he is being sentenced to 30 years. Through Brad Davis, you feel this young man’s hopes, fears, anguish, terror, and rage – the entire spectrum of emotion. You know an actor is powerful, when it only takes the look in his eyes to affect your senses. After this film came out, I was waiting for Davis to get bigger and better roles, why he didn't is baffling to me. John Hurt was actually nominated for an Oscar for this film, although he was very good, his performance could not touch that of Davis. Alan Parker deserves much credit to for his direction. The scenes in this film range from beautiful with the glorious mosques of the Ottoman Empire against the Turkish sky in the opening scene, to dark and grey as pathos sets in on our main character. Oliver Stone has a screenplay which sets the tone. Many of the scenes are in Turkish with no subtitles, but although we don’t know what they are saying, we really do; that was done on purpose since the scene was meant to convey the moment. Giorgio Moroder produced a beautiful score that reflected the wide array of emotions in this film. It is not an easy film to watch, some of the scenes are so violent and gruesome, many would turn away, but it is a harrowing story of a young man’s five year nightmare.
Rating:
Summary: Not an accurate adaptation of the book, but still excellent.
Review: This movie will have you gripped in suspense from start to finish: A (fairly) true story of an American college kid, William 'Billy' Hayes, trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey, but getting caught and sentenced to life in a Turkish prison, serving a few (very tough) years before making a miraculous escape all the way back to the (good ole) USA. Without a doubt, the director achieves a great feat of film making with this movie; you feel like you are right 'there', in Billy's shoes, as he tries to pass customs & security to get on the plane with his undeclared goods, and right there in Turkey - you can almost smell the place.
With godfathers of acting, such as John Hurt & Randy Quaid, staring in this movie, it delivers action of an explosive and emotional calibre. The only downside to the movie is that screenplay writer Oliver Stone blatantly adds some hypocritical fiction to the movie e.g. Billy being a strict heterosexual. Amazingly, he gets an Oscar for this desecration. Only in America I guess. If anyone deserves an Oscar it should have been the director. Well, the movie is brilliant, but Oliver Stone's hypocritical screenplay has robbed the masterful director of a deserved 5 stars. Way to go Oliver.
Rating:
Summary: I Don't Know Why People Like This Movie
Review: This is one of the worst movies I've seen ever. This is a story about a man, nammed Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) who tries to smuggle hessise(turkish drug) across the boader to America. But there is one small problem he gets caught. He is sentecenced to serve four years in a turkish prison. Billy leaves a worried girlfriend, father, mother, brother, and sister behind. In the prison he meets durgies and a whole new kind of people he never thought would exsist. The guards beat and tourcher not only him but everybody in that prison and other prisons in that part of the world were just the same. In Turkey who don't have the right to free speech like in America so when he went to court he had a hard time trying to defend himself. Billy is then sentenced to 30 years in the prison which I might add does not really qualify as a prison at all in my opinon. Billy and Rand quaid and one other person try to escape for every day for a whole week but then they are caught by a inmatte who gives randy qaid away. Randy is beaten so bad that he is in a hospital for months with a hernia. Billy gets so mad he kills ruski the immate who gives them away and basically goes insane witth rage and then immeditly after he is sent to a turkish mental institution with pyscos. His girlfriend talks to him and he has a new light os getting out. He bribes then kills a guard puts on his uniform and leaves. Three months later he crosses the boarder into Greece and gets on a plane and goes back to America to reunite with his family. This is emmotional true story. I dont like this movie for many reasons one is almost have the movie is spoken in the turkish natoinal language. This has too many graphic seens that I don't care for and many people won't like. I was frequntly looking at how much time was left in the movie and you should never be doing that when your wacthing a movie. I don't like this for another reason becausethe story is horribal even though it is true. I just don't like to see Americans being beaten in a turkish prison. Maybe you would like to rent this movie and see what I'm talking about but this is definitly not a movie to buy.
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Summary: Oh! My poor country!
Review: Merhaba I am Turkish and I very displeased at this film. I work at Turkish jail and it nothing like in film, we all very nice, there was this guy arrested for being Kurdish, and I break one leg for fun, and then he say, oh please don't break the other one, so I didn't. This is just more propaganda by trouble-making Armenians, they say there was Armenian holocaust, but all those Armenians dont know what they talking about, those 1.5 million people just got lost and the men no ask for directions thats why they disappeared.
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