Search - Midnight Express [Fullscreen/Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, Not For Children Movie Release: 1978 DVD Release: 10/27/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 1 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Drama, Adventure Drama, Escape Film, Biopic [feature], Prison Film See Also: Midnight Express [Widescreen], Midnight Express [30th Anniversary Edition], Midnight Express [Blu-ray]

Midnight Express is a harrowing tale of a naïve American caught in a nightmare of his own making thousands of miles from his home. Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) is an American tourist visiting Turkey with his girlfriend Susan (Irene Miracle) when he's caught by customs officials trying to smuggle a large amount of hashish out of the country. The crime would normally carry a sentence of four years, but officials decide to make an example of Billy, and he draws a 30-year sentence despite the promises of his Turkish legal counsel. While Susan and Billy's father (Mike Kellin) pledge to do everything they can to speed Billy's release, in fact there's little than can be done. Billy quickly finds himself in a hellish prison that's a nightmare of filth, violence, rape, inedible food, and unspeakable health conditions. However, Billy gains a few confidantes behind bars: Jimmy (Randy Quaid), an American in a constant state of emotional overdrive; Max (John Hurt), an intelligent, drug-addicted Englishman; and Erich (Norbert Weisser), a gay Scandinavian who is attracted to Billy but accepts his gentle refusals of sex. Before long, Billy is convinced that he can take no more, and he makes plans to take the "midnight express" -- jailhouse slang for escape. While his friends are willing to help, they also make clear that almost no one who has tried to escape has lived to tell the tale. Based on a true story, Midnight Express was a box-office hit which won wide acclaim for the performances of Brad Davis and John Hurt; and the screenplay, by Oliver Stone, won an Academy Award. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Brad Davis - Billy Hayes
Randy Quaid - Jimmy Booth
John Hurt - Max
Irene Miracle - Susan
Bo Hopkins - Tex
Paul L. Smith - Hamidou

Midnight Express is a great piece of filmmaking by Alan Parker (Birdy, PInk Floyd - The Wall), and this 20th Anniversary Edition DVD proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The true story of Billy Hayes, an American arrested and held in a Turkish prison for drug possession, was so powerful a film that after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, it prompted new laws designed to protect foreigners traveling through Turkey. (This information is explained on the VHS release but unfortunately not on this disc, which lacks production notes.) Included is a 1978 featurette about the real-life Billy Hayes and the making of the film entitled I'm Healthy I'm Free and I'm Alive. The widescreen and full-format standard transfers are decent, but the audio isn't Dolby-capable, so the pounding heartbeats and Giorgio Moroder's score do not have the impact they could. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide