Midnight Express (1978)

Despite valid criticisms of its sympathetic portrayal of drug traffickers, violence and stereotypes, it remains a superbly staged drama that forces consideration of moral themes through its excesses. Directed with power by Alan Parker, it features outstanding performances especially from Brad Davis and John Hurt.

The critic calls Alan Parker's film a masterpiece of exploitation cinema that grips the audience through tension and sympathy for the lead. They single out Oliver Stone's bombastic script for praise while noting its misleading basis in fact, racism and gratuitous violence.

The film converts Hayes' story into an exploitative yet meditative prison drama that succeeds when focusing on the psychological toll but falters with its racist depictions of Turks as uniformly corrupt and sadistic. It features strong work from the cast and a notable synth score but is at war with itself in its handling of extreme material.

The film is a heavily fictionalised account of an American on a drug charge enduring hell in a Turkish jail. Performances lend some depth, but it prioritises clear-cut emotional impact over moral nuance and effectively panders to audience instincts as a thriller.

The critic praises director Alan Parker's creation of a fully realized prison world and its terror but objects to the film's eagerness to generate sympathy for the protagonist and its over-the-top indignation toward the Turks.

The review finds the cast, direction and production very good but faults the muddled, moralizing screenplay for its difficulty in sorting proper empathies and its Anglo-American hand-wringing over alien cultures.

The piece criticizes the film for its relentless savaging of the audience through atrocities and grotesque tirades, noting its changeable morality that allows viewers to thrill to depravity without feeling compromised.

The critic describes Alan Parker’s film as one of the most disturbing — and problematic — re-creations of incarceration on film. It taps into the potent fear of losing liberty far from home.

The critic condemns the film as a mean-spirited, manipulative exercise in sadomasochistic and xenophobic fantasy that piles on horrors and dehumanizes Turks while sanctimoniously victimizing the protagonist.

The critic praises the film's enduring power as a hard-hitting account of incarceration, noting its authentic depiction and strong performances, particularly Brad Davis's. They single out the restraint in violence and lack of subtitles for authenticity.

The review highlights the film's powerful indictment of brutality and corruption, commending Brad Davis's performance and Alan Parker's direction. It notes the harshness but finds it worthwhile for its message on justice.