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Midnight Express

Turkish title: Geceyarısı ekspresi

“Walk into the incredible true experience of Billy Hayes. And bring all the courage you can.”

1978 · 2 h 1 min
Directed by Alan Parker
BiographyCrimeDrama

Cast

Brad Davis Irene Miracle Bo Hopkins

Credits

Written by: Oliver Stone

Plot

Billy Hayes, an American student, is arrested at Istanbul airport while trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey and is sentenced to a harsh term in a squalid prison. Facing brutality, corruption and the threat of madness, he plans an escape. Alan Parker's 1978 film, with a script by Oliver Stone and a score by Giorgio Moroder, won two Academy Awards, but was criticised for its portrayal of Turkey.

Sinekatalog’s take

Alan Parker's prison drama is intense and relentlessly harsh, with a famous Giorgio Moroder score. Its brutality and its caricatured depiction of Turkey were widely criticised, and it is best seen with that context.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.5 / 10 (96,032 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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