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Midnight Express

7.7

30,849

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Original title

Midnight Express

Year

1978

Running time

121 min.

Country

United States

Director

Alan Parker

Screenwriter

Oliver Stone. Autobiography: Billy Hayes

Cast

Music

Giorgio Moroder

Cinematography

Michael Seresin

Producer

Columbia Pictures, Casablanca Filmworks. Producer: David Puttnam

Genre

Drama | Prison Drama. Based on a true story

Synopsis

Based on William Hayes's autobiography, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS tells the harrowing story of a young American tourist arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison by Turkish authorities for trying to smuggle two kilos of hashish out of the country. Billy (Brad Davis), suffering through the harsh realities of the Turkish penal system, sees a glimmer of hope when his father (Billy Kellin) arrives from the States with the intention of securing his son's release. But when that effort fails and the prison's savage environment becomes too much to bear, Billy opts for the only possible solution: breaking out of jail and riding the "midnight express"--prison slang for escape--to freedom.

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Rankings Position

#16 Best Movies Based on a True Story
#35 Best Movies of the '70s

Awards: 1978: 2 Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay, Soundtrack. 6 Nominations

1978: 5 Golden Globes, including Best Movie - Drama. 8 nominations

1978: BAFTA Awards: Best Director, Supporting Actor (Hurt), Editing. 6 Nominations

1978: Writers Guild of America (WGA): Best Adapted Drama Screenplay

1978: Directors Guild of America (DGA): Nominated for Best Director

1978: Cannes Film Festival: Nominated for Palme d'Or (Best Film)

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Critics' reviews

"Parker succeeds in making the prison into a full, real, rounded world, a microcosm of human behavior (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: rogerebert.com
"Riveting from the word go. The acting is superb, the direction is excellent, and Moroder's score is exhilarating."

TV Guide
"The film is like a porno fantasy about the sacrifice of a virgin"

Pauline Kael: The New Yorker
"In Parker's hands, Billy's story has become a virtuoso horror show-an exercise in emotional manipulation designed not merely to arouse chills but to turn the audience into avengers"

Newsweek
"Midnight Express is at war with itself. Strong when it focuses on the psychological toll of prison, it falls apart when it turns the focus elsewhere"

Keith Phipps: AV Club
"Alan Parker milks naturalistic performances out of his small cast and creates a brutal intensity rarely matched in cinema today."

Eli Kooris: Austin Chronicle
"Cast, direction and production are all very good"

Variety Staff: Variety
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Ranking Lists Position

92 My Favorite Dramas (161)
94 My Favorite Biopics/Biographical Movies (26)

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Midnight Express

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