Midnight Express
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: John Hurt, Randy QuaidBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Maltese (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-05
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Summary of Midnight Express
With the Turkish government trying to crack down on drugs, terrorism and crime, Billy Hayes has the misfortune of being caught at the border with a hashish stash. At first sentenced to four years and two months for drug possession, his prison term grows to 30 years when the prosecution?s appeal finds him guilty of smuggling. Pleas from his parents, litigation from his lawyer and actions from the U.S. Embassy amount to nothing. Things get worse when Hayes is sent to a detention center for the mentally unstable after he bites off a warden?s tongue to prevent him from divulging his escape plans. Forced to struggle with daily violence, despair and abuse, he finally reaches his breaking point and is willing to do anything to escape. Knowing that he is on his own, Hayes has one risk left to take: riding his own Midnight Express.Forever embroiled in controversy, Midnight Express divides viewers into opposing camps: those who think it's one of the most intense real-life dramas ever made, and those who abhor its manipulative tactics and alteration of facts for the exploitative purpose of achieving a desired effect. That effect is powerfully achieved, regardless of how you may feel about director Alan Parker and Oscar®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone's interpretation of the story of Billy Hayes. It was the American Hayes--played by the late Brad Davis in an unforgettable performance--who was caught smuggling two kilograms of hashish while attempting to board a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, in 1970. He was sentenced to four years in a hellish Turkish prison on a drug possession charge, but his sentence was later extended (though not by 30 years, as the film suggests), and Hayes endured unthinkable brutality and torture before his escape in 1975.
Unquestionably, this is a superbly crafted film, provoking a visceral response that's powerful enough to boil your blood. By the time Hayes erupts in an explosion of self-defensive violence, Parker and Stone have proven the power--and danger--of their skill. Their film is deeply manipulative, extremely xenophobic, and embellishes reality to heighten its calculated impact. Is that a crime? Not necessarily, and there's no doubt that Midnight Express is expertly directed and blessed with exceptional supporting performances (especially from John Hurt as a long-term prisoner). Still, it's obvious that strings are being pulled, and Parker, while applying his talent to a nefarious purpose, is a masterful puppeteer. --Jeff Shannon
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