Turkish prison. If that term conjures up thoughts of a chaotic hell, it could well be because of the movie Midnight Express, a film that sets a strong imprint in the minds of all who see it, regardless of their opinion of its quality. ‘Midnight express’ is a term that describes one of the few means of exit from a Turkish prison, at least as far as we can judge from this film’s portrayal of them: escape.
The movie is based on a book about the real life imprisonment of Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) for the crime of drug possession. After foolishly trying to leave the country with wads of illegal drugs taped to his abdomen, Hayes finds himself in big trouble. Promised a less-than-appealing three-year sentence in dismal conditions, Hayes finds out that his sentence has been appealed and replaced with a 30-year term. Essentially, life in prison.
Midnight Express shows how much one man can survive in an environment where misery, filth and torture are routine. We see the depths Hayes sinks during his imprisonment and the movie doesn’t hesitate to display it all graphically. We wonder how far he must fall before this tale comes to a close.
Directed by Alan Parker (The Commitments, Angel Heart and Mississippi Burning), Midnight Express walks a fine line between portraying Hayes as a victim or as a criminal. It asks a lot of hard questions: when is punishment too much punishment? And what do criminals deserve for their crimes?
The Turkish penal system is consistently portrayed here as sadistic and apathetic—which is difficult to view for those of us coming from a Western perspective, where we tend to have a split personality when it comes to crime and punishment. Violence and sexual themes, both explicit and implied, are prevalent throughout the film. Many of the events we see are hard to sit through. However, this is for a purpose, as this film will spark debate and question.
Midnight Express comes from a different time: released as it was before the eras of the ‘Moral Majority’ and the ‘War on Drugs.’ The film’s era is reflected in the way it approaches the drug issue – it’s simply not dwelled upon.
The movie was re-released on DVD, re-mastered in honour of Midnight Express' 20th anniversary and this was a welcome improvement, exceeded only by its subsequent release on blu-ray. Turkish prisons are not conducive to clear imagery or audio; these upgraded versions of the movie do much to literally shed light on the subject.
