Midnight Express
Sign in to save1978 film directed by Alan Parker
Film · TMDB
7.4Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of a country. The courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
Released: 1978-08-31121 minDir: Alan ParkerDrama, Crime
Cast
- Brad Davis as Billy Hayes
- Irene Miracle as Susan
- Bo Hopkins as Tex
- Paolo Bonacelli as Rifki
- Paul L. Smith as Hamidou
- Randy Quaid as Jimmy Booth
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Ratings · OMDb
IMDb
7.5/10
93,919 votes
Rotten Tomatoes
90%
Metacritic
59/100
- Rated
- R
- Awards
- Won 2 Oscars. 17 wins & 14 nominations total
via OMDb · IMDb
Key facts
- Directed by
- Alan Parker
- Screenplay by
- Oliver Stone
- Based on
- the book by William Hayes , with William Hoffer
- Produced by
- Alan Marshall David Puttnam
- Starring
- Brad Davis
- Cinematography
- Michael Seresin , (lighting cameraman)
- Edited by
- Gerry Hambling
- Music by
- Giorgio Moroder
- Production company
- Casablanca FilmWorks
- Distributed by
- Columbia Pictures
- Release dates
- 18 May 1978 ( 1978-05-18 ) ( Cannes ) 10 August 1978 ( 1978-08-10 ) (U.K.) 6 October 1978 ( 1978-10-06 ) (U.S.)
- Running time
- 121 minutes
- Countries
Key dates
- Published
- 10 August 1978
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- film
- Genre
- crime film
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Original language
- English language
- Based on
- Midnight Express
- Director
- Alan Parker
- Screenwriter
- Billy Hayes
- Composer
- Giorgio Moroder
- Producer
Article
Midnight Express is a 1978 American prison drama directed by Alan Parker and adapted by Oliver Stone from Billy Hayes's 1977 memoir. It stars Brad Davis, with Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paul L. Smith, Randy Quaid, and John Hurt in supporting roles. The film centers on Hayes, a young American student, who is sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of the country. The film's title is prison slang for his escape attempt.
Hayes and others criticized the film for portraying the Turkish characters as violent and villainous and for deviating too much from the source material for added shock value.