IMDb > Midnight Express (1978)
Midnight Express
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Midnight Express (1978) More at IMDbPro »

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Midnight Express -- Story of a man who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison. Inspired from and dramatized upon a true event.

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   37,827 votes »
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Up 43% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alan Parker
Writers:
Billy Hayes (book) and
William Hoffer (book) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Midnight Express on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 October 1978 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Biography | Crime | Drama See more »
Tagline:
A story of triumph. See more »
Plot:
Story of a man who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 12 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(127 articles)
Creatively, Turkey’s TV Soaps Have Conquered the World
 (From Variety - TV News. 13 April 2013, 3:00 PM, PDT)
Creatively, Turkey’s TV Soaps Have Conquered the World
 (From Variety - Film News. 13 April 2013, 3:00 PM, PDT)
More ‘The Dark Place’ casting; Tennant and Piper return for ‘Doctor Who’ 50th
 (From doorQ.com. 31 March 2013, 9:16 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Gritty, Gross and Downright Fabulous See more (223 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Brad Davis ... Billy Hayes

Irene Miracle ... Susan

Bo Hopkins ... Tex
Paolo Bonacelli ... Rifki
Paul L. Smith ... Hamidou (as Paul Smith)

Randy Quaid ... Jimmy Booth

Norbert Weisser ... Erich

John Hurt ... Max
Mike Kellin ... Mr. Hayes
Franco Diogene ... Yesil

Michael Ensign ... Stanley Daniels
Gigi Ballista ... Chief Judge
Kevork Malikyan ... Prosecutor
Peter Jeffrey ... Ahmet
Joe Zammit Cordina ... Airport Customs Officer
Yashaw Adem ... Airport Police Chief (as Yashar Adem)

Raad Rawi ... Airport Security Chief
Tony Boyd ... Aslan
Zannino ... Police Detective (as Zanninos Zanninou)
Mihalis Giannatos ... Court Translator (as Michael Yannatos)

Vic Tablian ... Star
Ahmed El Shenawi ... Negdir
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Alan Parker ... Long-Haired Man at Airport (uncredited)
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Directed by
Alan Parker 
 
Writing credits
Billy Hayes (book) (as William Hayes) and
William Hoffer (book)

Oliver Stone (screenplay)

Produced by
Peter Guber .... executive producer
Alan Marshall .... producer
David Puttnam .... producer
 
Original Music by
Giorgio Moroder 
 
Cinematography by
Michael Seresin 
 
Film Editing by
Gerry Hambling 
 
Production Design by
Geoffrey Kirkland 
 
Art Direction by
Evan Hercules 
 
Costume Design by
Milena Canonero 
 
Makeup Department
Pat Hay .... hair stylist
Mary Hillman .... makeup artist
Sarah Monzani .... hair stylist
Penny Steyne .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Richard Green .... unit manager
Garth Thomas .... production manager
Antoine Compin .... production manager: second unit (uncredited)
Charis Horton .... production manager: second unit (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Corbett .... first assistant director
Kieron Phipps .... third assistant director
David Wimbury .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Alan Booth .... stand-by carpenter
Karen Brookes .... property buyer
Kenneth Clarke .... stand-by plasterer (as Ken Clark)
Bob Hedges .... stand-by props
John Hemmington .... dressing props
Katharina Kubrick .... art department assistant
Bob Lapper .... stagehand
John Leuenberger .... property master
Douglas Regan .... stand-by painter
Dennis Simmonds .... stand-by props
Bill Welch .... construction manager
 
Sound Department
Don Banks .... sound camera
Rusty Coppleman .... dubbing editor
Bill Rowe .... dubbing mixer
Ken Weston .... boom operator
Clive Winter .... sound mixer
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Beaumont Alexander .... clapper loader (as Beau Alexander)
David Appleby .... still photographer
Peter Bloor .... electrician
Ray Coates .... electrician
Nobby Cross .... electrician
Freddy Fry .... camera grip
Red Lawrence .... rigger
Reg Parsons .... electrician
Roy Rodhouse .... electrician
John Stanier .... camera operator
Bernard Lutic .... director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Penny Perry .... casting: USA
Patsy Pollock .... casting: UK
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bobby Lavender .... wardrobe
Yvonne Zarb Cousin .... wardrobe mistress (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Eddy Joseph .... assistant editor
Tony Orton .... assistant editor
Richard Taylor .... assistant editor
 
Other crew
Paul Cadiou .... assistant accountant
Valerie Craig .... production secretary
Kay Fenton .... continuity
Brian Harris .... follow focus
Angela Micklesburgh .... assistant to producer
Ron Phipps .... production accountant
Caryn Picker .... assistant to producer
Roy Scammell .... fight arranger
Kathy Smith .... production assistant (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
121 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English | Maltese | French
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1978) | France:-16 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Iceland:16 | Spain:18 | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:18 | Germany:16 (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 (re rating) (1989) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1996) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1999) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:R18 (original rating) (1979)
Filming Locations:
Fort St.Elmo, Valletta, MaltaSee more »
Company:
Casablanca FilmworksSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Prior to principal photography, director Alan Parker wrote a letter to the cast and crew. Publicity for the picture reproduced it. It said: "Firstly to say something before we start. Secondly, to warn you about a very difficult film. And thirdly, because I heard Ingmar Bergman always did it! As you have gathered from the script, it is my intention to make a very violent, uncompromisingly brutal film, the subject matter of which will no doubt take its toll on us all. This is not just a boring prison story set in claustrophobic cells and corridors. It's much, much more than that - a prison no one's ever seen before...It's difficult to put into words, but I would like the audience to be shaken and shocked that such things happen, almost to the point of disbelief - but never to lose them".See more »
Goofs:
Factual errors: The Turkish spoken by the Turkish characters in the film is uniformly broken. The actors are obviously not Turkish; sometimes the language is so broken it is difficult for native speakers to understand what they are saying.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
[Susan makes her way through a line at an airline checkpoint]
Susan:Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me.
[she reaches Billy in line]
Susan:Nervous?
Billy Hayes:No.
Susan:Geez, I hate flying.
Billy Hayes:It's something I ate. I think I've been poisoned.
Susan:Or you're just excited about getting home.
Billy Hayes:No, I think it's the baklavas.
[...]
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Very Bad Things (1998)See more »
Soundtrack:
Istanbul BluesSee more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
44 out of 86 people found the following review useful.
Gritty, Gross and Downright Fabulous, 17 October 1999
Author: DanB-4 from Canada

Midnight Express can be compared to the likes of Mississippi Burning, Schindler's List and Midnight Cowboy - people who see it love it or hate it - no in between and it inspires a great deal of conversation. I have never met anyone who has seen this film and does not carry a strong opinion of it one way or another.

I love it. I do not consider it a depiction of Turkish life or an accurate retelling of the whole truth. In fact, the truth of the William Hays story is deeply lost in this picture. I consider Midnight Express to be a primarily fictional prison drama, bases largely on real events. The bottom line is that it is a great film.

Politically, I am quite conservative and have a "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" attitude. I had very little sympathy for William Hays in this movie, a young American caught smuggling hash out of Turkey and imprisoned in an absolute hell-hole. Instead, I am fascinated by his adaptation to prison life, the politics among prisoners and officials, the relationship with Brad's family and lawyers and all the other aspects of the films.

The film is very gross, quite violent and filmed in a dark, depressing. atmospheric manner. It is not for the faint of heart or anyone looking for a pleasant experience.

If you are a Randy Quaid fan then Midnight Express is a must see. So much of Randy Quaid's fame arises from the ludicrous Vacation movies and Independence Day, his true talent is unappreciated. See this (an The Last Detail) if you are a Randy fan.

There is a completely unnecessary and inane scene in which the lead character delivers a speech in a Turkish court - cut this scene short and you have a perfect movie.

Midnight Express is controversial and though-provoking. I cannot guarantee that you will like it, but I can guarantee that it will make you think.

**** out of ****

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Creepy with dad. gjc5083
Portrayal is fair nerhal1
This whole thing could have been avoided....... brettweir3
More movies like this? eyeforaneye2002
Best line in the movie BrionyTallis
Tex 'Guerrillas everywhere...' yaseenk13
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