MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (Alan Parker, Columbia, 1978)

A couple weeks back I had an audition for a show called LOCKED UP ABROAD. The show focuses on an individual who has been arrested somewhere around the world usually for attempting to smuggle narcotics in or out of the country. It has been thirty three years since the release of MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (Alan Parker, Columbia, 1978) and while obviously many have never seen nor heard of this film, how anyone could not know not to smuggle drugs on their person mystifies me. This film captures the very essence of why such activity might be some of the dumbest a person can undertake, especially if you are American in another country.

The stupidity of such actions not withstanding, the film captures the differences between our American culture and that of other countries quite well. The most striking difference lies in the value placed on human life and then the quality that life is afforded. When Billy Davis (Brad Davis) is thrown into the Turkish prison he is confronted with a myriad of lessons on what his status is within the prison walls as well as what limits he will endure in regards to the human condition he is accustomed to. Governed by the sadistic Hamidou (Paul Smith), Hayes is subjected to an endless array of degradations. Torture, starvation and sensory deprivation are just some of the standard treatments Hayes is subjected to for what Americans would deem innocuous offenses. Grabbing a blanket to keep warm gets Hayes severely beaten, providing him with a limp he carries throughout his term in prison.

The performance by Brad Davis as Hayes is captivating and thoroughly committed. The level of his commitment is best exemplified at the end of act two, as Billy is visited by his girlfriend Susan (Irene Miracle). Having been locked in the mental ward as well as not having seen a woman in five years, Davis gives a courageous and touching moment simply by pleasuring himself through the glass partition. As Susan walks away Billy carries on and it is this moment that sparks his awakening and leads him to his escape and survival.

Among the other great performances in the film are those of Max (John Hurt) as a deranged drug addicted inmate and the aforementioned Hamidou (Smith). Smith really provides a performance which he seemingly relishes and his Hamidou is one of those characters that should scare people straight.

Technically the film does an excellent job in production design capturing the interior of the prison. The best production aspect is that of the score. At least three to four times in the film the score matches the films visuals brilliantly, adding a surrealistic feel to a Turkish prison, one in which unspeakable atrocities are a daily occurrence and where survival is dependent on either a drug induced haze or succumbing to the basest of human instincts. If you don't come away from this film knowing to never break the law, I'm not sure you can be helped.