Drug Smuggle in Turkey, welcome to your time of Hell (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Riveting from the word go. The acting is superb, the direction is excellent and Moroder's score is exhilarating. Based on the true life story of Billy Hayes (who later became an actor), it begins as he (played by Davis) and girlfriend Susan (Miracle) are about to leave for home after a trip to Turkey. On the alert for drug smugglers, officials at the airport catch Hayes with blocks of hashish taped to his body. In a brilliantly tense scene he is herded at gunpoint to a room where he is stripped and interrogated, then taken to a fierce Turkish prison. Here comfort means a night where someone isn't brutually raped or beaten. Hayes meets many of the other inmates, including a few Westerners in there for the same drug raps: American Jimmy (Quaid). Englishman Max (Hurt) and Scandinavian Erich (Weisser), a gay man with whom Hayes has a brief sexual liason. Billy's father (Kellin) attempts to get his son out of jail, but the Turkish legal system is bent on making him an example to other potential smugglers. In a sensational courtroom scene Hayes berates his captors with an obscene lambasting of the judges, most of whom don't speak English and have no idea what he's saying. He is sentenced to more years than he thought he'd get and, once remanded to the jail, makes plans to take the "midnight express," i.e. escape.All the performances are top-notch. Quaid's portrayal of the slightly deranged American is outstanding; Hurt, as the addicted Englishman , is a study in understatement; Weisser is totally believable; and smith must rank a close second to Hume Cronyn's Captain Munsey in BRUTE FORCE for sheer evil in a prison official. But the standout is Davis, who is given the task of displaying just about every emotion known to man. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS is occasionally a bit too stylish for it's own good , something that may have been an indulgence on the part of Director Parker. He is nonetheless, a talent to be reckoned with, and both he and editor Hambboth won British Film Academy Awards for their work.
Cinematically Brilliant; Morally Reprehensible (Rating: 3.00)
Review : On a cinematic level, Midnight Express is an extremely powerful movie. It has a terrific, moving soundtrack. The acting is terrific. The late Brad Davis, who played the lead in this film, threw away what could have been a fantastic acting career because of his own drug use. (The actor was pretty much blackballed after he gained a reputation for showing up to Hollywood parties and film shootings stoned. He eventually died of AIDS.) Some of the speeches in the film are extremely powerful. However, the main character is simply put, a drug smuggler who got caught. The movie does an excellent job of making him extremely sympathetic. If you purchase the newest edition, there's a brief documentary on the real life Billy Hayes. I find his general lack of remorse most interesting. Additionally, the movie takes some liberties with the facts. From what I understand, the first half of the film is fairly accurate. He did caught smuggling drugs out of turkey. He was sent to prison. He did get his feet beaten with a club, and was hit in the groin with the club. (He was not raped, as many reviewers have indicated.) When he had less than two months left on his sentence, he was sentenced to more time. However, it wasn't another 30 years, like the movie indicates. Between time off for good behavior, a partial amnesty to all prisoners, and time served from his first sentence, Billy Hayes had roughly 3 years left when he escaped. The extreme brutality in the last third of the film is simply the product of Oliver Stone's imagination. In fact, Billy Hayes has said that he'd like to make another movie to properly reflect what really happened. (Personally, I think he's just trying to profit more from his crime.) Many reviewers have complained about the brutal way the prisons are portrayed. This movie is certainly exaggerated. However, prisons are brutal places. Additionally, the Turks do beat prisoners on the feet. As another reviewer commented, it's worse than the U.S., but not as bad as other countries. I'd like to refer you to a previous customer review in which the reviewer hypothesizes what would have had happened if he hadn't been caught.
Lighten Up Folks, Its Only A Movie (Rating: 4.00)
Review : I have read some of the reviews posted here for this movie and they almost laughable. People need to lighten up a bit and stop being so goddam politically correct. This true life story is a Hollywood dramatization folks. Its purpose is to entertain. And I for one am not ashamed to say that I would watch this movie just to look at Brad Davis in the buff. Nuff Said.
Alan Parker's masterpiece (Rating: 5.00)
Review : This is an absorbing and arresting film. Since the first minute of the opening sequence , the dramatic mood will live in our heart .
The inner tension in the airport is perfectly made , the fear , the insane atmosphere in the turkish jails , the language obstacle , the hopeless , the dramatic sense when the Turkish Court gives the veredict in the middle of a bitter political conflict are a true landmark in its style.
John Hurt (Max) plays an unforgettable role as the addict friend of Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) and his performance is only overcome for The elephant man two years after this film.
Magnificent script and extraordinary performances.
A winner.
EXCELLENT MOVIE.......BUT A WEAK DVD!!!!! (Rating: 4.00)
Review : You can never go wrong with a movie that has oliver stone involved, in this movie which is based on a true story a man named Billy Hayes tries to smuggle drugs across the Turkey border to U.S.A. He is caught at the airport, and is sentenced to stay in their prison for almost 4 years. after serving almost 4 years He is later brought to court again to find out that they extended his sentence to no less than 30 years!! I won't give away anything else, this movie is extremely intense and emotional. I gave this movie 4 stars instead of 5 because of the weak dvd. For a 20th anniversary edition, there really is nothing interesting except a very old behind the scenes feature. This dvd should at least have an oliver stone commentary. The transer is pretty crisp, with less grain and better coloring. This movie is coming up on its 25th anniversary, hopefully columbia-tristar will improve the special features and upgrade the sound quality. All in all fantastic movie...a must buy.
|
