Over the years of his sentence, Hayes becomes violently insane. Surprisingly, there is a happy ending.
How others will see it. The user ratings at imdb.com are favorable overall, but show a markedly wide spread between males and females. Presumably, women are more likely to dislike the film because its protagonist keeps making stupid decisions, and because the film's gore factor is quite high. This film is not for you if you can't stomach a pet cat hung to death, or a man biting out another man's tongue.
The film was banned in Turkey for many years, and understandably so. Turkish justice is depicted as inhumane throughout, and Turkish men are presented as cruel, vengeful, and corrupt.
How I felt about it. From the standpoint of film history, Midnight Express is most significant as a breakthrough screen credit for Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July). He wrote the screenplay, based on the autobiography of Billy Hayes, as told to William Hoffer. Giorgio Moroder, synthesizer wizard for Donna Summer and others, composed the influential (if sometimes overbearing) original score. Both Stone and Moroder received Oscars, and the film garnered four other Academy Award nominations (as best picture, director, supporting actor, and film Editing).
The film also won six Golden Globes, including Brad Davis as Best Actor. It was the most important role of his brief career, which cratered several years before his death from AIDS at the age of 41.
Midnight Express is my third favorite Alan Parker film, after Evita and Angel Heart. Of course it is too lurid, but I can take it if you can, and aside from the male bonding between Hayes and Erich (Norbert Weisser), there's no obvious scenes that should have been left on the cutting room floor.
It is impossible to feel sorry for Billy Hayes. After his actions in the film, he deserves to have been left in that Turkish prison. His sole laudable action is keeping Susan out of his foolish smuggling scheme. This leaves open the intentions of director Parker. Certainly, he wants to shock us, but does he expect us to want Hayes out of prison? I want him to keep walking the wheel with his fellow nutcases. Tongue biting is way over the line.
Among the supporting cast, the most interesting performance comes from John Hurt, the drug-addicted 'intellectual' who does his best to make his character as memorably eccentric as possible. This strategy has worked well for Hurt throughout his career, as he has had no shortage of work.
The other familiar names are Randy Quaid, whose affinity for reckless wildman behavior makes his casting ideal, and Bo Hopkins, the gang leader from American Graffiti and even tougher in this film.