Director Alan Parker brings us Midnight Express, a film outlining the true story of young American Billy Hayes (Brad Davis), caught attempting to smuggle 2 kgs of hash back into America from Turkey, resulting in his sentence at a Turkish prison. After originally being sentenced to four years, the Turkish officials decide to make an example of Billy, increasing his sentence to thirty years. This pushes Billy over the edge, and with prison life becoming too hard to handle he, along with Max (John Hurt) and Jimmy Booth (Randy Quaid), decides to catch the midnight express out of the hell he's been living in.
A friend of mine told me before watching this film that it was horrific, and he wasn't wrong. Midnight Express is a harrowing portrayal of a foreign prison, with every element of the film making contributing to the terrifying feeling you receive when watching this picture. From the beginning of the film the sound adds tension, adds to the fear and allows you to get a little closer to feeling what the characters are going through. I have never witnessed the use of a pulsing heartbeat being so effective than in the opening airport scene of the film. As the film progresses the eerie use of sound subtly changes to accommodate the setting, something which ensures the viewer will stay connected.
The trio of Billy, Max and Jimmy create short breaks from the tension and hardships due to the great clash of personalities. Randy Quaid plays Jimmy Booth, a hot-headed American putting everything he has into finding a way to get out of the nightmare he finds himself. John Hurt gives a fantastic performance as Max, a stoner who is simply too lethargic to have bothered attempting to escape. Hurt's portrayal is utterly convincing and you just can't help but find yourself loving the character, deserving of his Golden Globe and BAFTA.
Although a familiar plot, Oliver Stone's screenplay allows the film the lay low and be quite understated, creating a hugely fact based film that feels extremely real.
A must-see film that will stay with you for a while.
J.Henderson.
9/10.
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