《午夜快车》的观后感10篇
《午夜快车》是一部由艾伦·帕克执导，布拉德·戴维斯 / 艾琳·米拉科 / 博·霍普金斯主演的一部传记 / 犯罪 / 剧情 / 惊悚类型的电影，特精心从网络上整理的一些观众的观后感，希望对大家能有帮助。
《午夜快车》观后感(一)：1978年 電影 Midnight Express - 午夜快車
1978年 電影 Midnight Express - 午夜快車
(觀後感)
《午夜快车》观后感(二)：越狱片的鼻祖吗?
必须得加上1978年的标签才能比较公平地评价这个片,因为"肖申克的救赎"已经太珠玉在前了.
很喜欢这种暗暗但很有质感的画面,土耳其,伊斯坦布尔,充满了古老神秘的元素,几个城市掠影的镜头都很迷人.
不知道这片是不是越狱片的鼻祖,对于监狱里种种暴行的如实描绘,不带一点掩饰,还有法律的不够公平,这种残忍让人怀疑惩罚的合理性.
虽然是不错,还是难免看得走神,毕竟太多情节似曾相识.不过得说演员演得不错,从带毒的不羁青年,初入监狱少不更事,安心在监狱蹲4年半,改判终生监禁时的愤怒,彻底毁了以后的颓废懦弱,还有女朋友探监那一场,唉......每个时段都有不一样的表现,很赞.
《午夜快车》观后感(三)：顺我者摇尾，逆我者黑死你。
维基了一下比利的故事。他从大学辍学，往返土耳其贩毒。被抓的时候23岁，是第四次来土耳其贩毒。而且被抓之前自认为是James bond. 很聪明啊总能逃脱那些警察的稽查。
被抓了进监狱根本没有遭到毒打和性侵。说那个电影馁那个打脚板真实有，但实际上根本就不会很痛。监狱对他而言最难熬的只是无聊。。boredom。其实他后来被放松看管了关在一个岛上。在一个狂风暴雨了搞了条船逃了。这之间没有死任何人的。不过他小时候的伙伴为了给他弄假身份啊护照什么的被人谋杀了（在纽约被杀的，跟土耳其没毛线关系）。他本人呢靠着这段经验吃了一辈子。出来不到三年把自己的经历就出书拍电影估计狠狠赚了一笔。后来还有一个纪录片还是什么的后续。老了后，回到土耳其跟人家政府啊什么的道歉。自己亲口说害怕回土耳其因为知道土耳其人们不喜欢他。还请求土耳其人民的原谅什么的。看吧！现在这老头67了，狠狠的黑了土耳其一把还活得开心着呢。
不谈本片剧情以及那无耻的三观。客观公正的说电影不错，拍了都快四十年了，还是很经典。镜头啊什么的都太给力了。
《午夜快车》观后感(四)：原来电影真有改变现实的力量-午夜快车
Alan Parker—Midnight Express
我可以向你保证，这是最真实的监狱片，真的再现了监狱制度对人性的压抑和扭曲。
阿伦？帕克执导，奥利佛？斯通编剧，改编自真人真事，美国青年被关进土耳其监狱。
监狱的生存状态：暴力就是语言，别人早晚会搞你的，所以你要先搞他们。
改判时的法庭陈词：我恨你们的国家，恨你们所有的人，你们都是猪！说完伤心的坐下，那是流放异域、隔绝故乡的绝望。
告密者是监狱中的真实存在，你沦落到最底层的时候，他们还要欺负你，蔑视你，践踏你仅剩的最后一点人格尊严。再忍耐再克制的人都会爆发。他咬掉了告密者的舌头，那一刻找回了被践踏的所有尊严，代价是被关进疯人区。
监狱让人发疯，最后只能来到这里，不得不承认自己是坏掉的机器，根本就不该在外面的世界生活。
女朋友来探监，他让她解开衣服，把乳房贴过来，就隔着玻璃抚摸狂吻，这是帕克最有表现力的乳房镜头之一，另一个是鸟人。女朋友说你这样会死的，你一定要离开，谁也帮不了你。
他最后的逃离十分戏剧，让人难忘的是他弓着背把钱递到狱官手里，还亲人家的手，一个镜头就把监狱对人的作践表露无遗。
珍贵的是影片花絮，真人露面了，明知片场的布景和演员都是假的，但是他说，所有的恐惧都回来了。
影片还未公映，在试映期间就引起了轰动，成了社会话题。接着在参加戛纳影展后的41天，美国政府与土耳其开始了交换囚犯的谈判，原来电影真有改变现实的力量。
影片发行土耳其，有人要求禁映，但是被法院否决。从这一点看，土耳其的文明程度就高于中国，司法独立呀，对中国人来说，简直是个梦想。
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《午夜快车》观后感(五)：戏剧化的真实故事
经典的越狱片之一，即使在如今这个年代，无数参差不齐的越狱类型片奔涌而出，《午夜快车》也依旧是一部精彩的不可复制的好电影。
《午夜快车》的故事是由一个真实事件改编而来的。但在这里，这个故事要比原事件戏剧化很多，所表达出来的东西更为深刻丰富。都说艺术是源于生活却又高于生活的。这个故事来自生活，但它被奥利弗 斯通用戏剧化的文字重新组装了一遍，还是原来的骨架却被换了一身皮囊。这就好比现在的整容，初衷都是为了将更好的自己展现在众人眼前。幸运的是它没被整残，所以成了经典。
电影改编了剧情同时也改编了人物，这让原本可能太过极端可怕的故事在看似极端的环境下变得合理且温馨。电影就是有这个魔力让一切可怕的变成温馨甜蜜，反之亦然。在这个故事中所有的人物都是立体的。主人公Billy从一开始的胆怯紧张到后来为朋友杀人近乎疯狂；Jim从一个文弱友爱的书生竟为朋友而起了杀心……类似这样前后强烈的反差不仅仅体现出了人物的精神压力和性格变化，更是有效的凸显出了环境对于人的摧残，以及在畸形不健全的法律政治的操控下整个社会的阴暗可怕。相较于说教或是直接表现黑暗的故事，这样的情节安排更能打动人心，引起关注。确实，在这部影片播出后得到了美国政府的关注，解救了不少被土耳其莫名扣押下的“罪人”。
不说其他，只聊故事。从整体来看，这个故事是由一条主线发展的，开头十分钟主线故事的激励事件出场--Billy在机场被抓（这是第一幕的一个小高潮）。在Billy被抓前影片的节奏就是一张一弛的，导演从一开始就把电影的整体节奏规划好了。Billy在第一次被检查时的紧张，可以从他脸颊上不知是汗水还是自来水的特写感触到，被顺利放行后与女友在车上调情时的轻松有效的缓解了刚才的紧张，紧接着激励事件的爆发，成功的从一开始就奠定出了影片基调，使得之后的剧情发展基本都是按照这个基调、节奏继续。故事发展的张弛得当，让没有运用什么电影技巧的片子依旧能够扣人心弦，让人从剧情上喜欢这个电影。这足以说明这个剧本确确实实是一个好剧本，奥利弗 斯通既是一位优秀导演同时也是一位会讲故事的好编剧。
《午夜快车》观后感(六)：午夜快车（Midnight Express）
我以坐牢四年半的经历向你保证，这是最真实的监狱片，真的再现了监狱制度对人性的压抑和扭曲。
阿伦•帕克执导，奥利佛•斯通编剧，改编自真人真事，美国青年因藏毒被关进土耳其监狱，眼看刑期届满，突然改判终身监禁，他成了美国与土耳其关系交恶的牺牲品。没有人能帮他，他只能靠自己逃离。
闪光点比比皆是：
父亲第一次探监，压抑克制，努力安慰自己的孩子，却有忍耐不住的爆发。
监狱的生存状态：暴力就是语言，别人早晚会搞你的，所以你要先搞他们。那种暴力和扭曲已经完全融进了日常的言谈举止，你不够扭曲就混不下去，看着让人揪心。那里的人什么都没有了，只剩下红着眼睛厮杀。
改判时的法庭陈词：我恨你们的国家，恨你们所有的人，你们都是猪！说完伤心的坐下，那是流放异域、隔绝故乡的绝望。
还有发现秘密通道时的狂喜，挖土的手都在哆嗦，那是拼命压制也压不住的对自由的渴望。而当通道被发现，他的朋友被带走，连那个最文弱的家伙也被逼得想要杀人。
告密者是监狱中的真实存在，你沦落到最底层的时候，他们还要欺负你，蔑视你，践踏你仅剩的最后一点人格尊严。他在出狱最后一天，还要陷害主人公仅剩的一个朋友，再忍耐再克制的人都会爆发。他咬掉了告密者的舌头，那一刻找回了被践踏的所有尊严，代价是被关进疯人区。
监狱让人发疯，最后只能来到这里，不得不承认自己是坏掉的机器，根本就不该在外面的世界生活。
女朋友来探监，他让人解开衣服，把乳房贴过来，就隔着玻璃抚摸狂吻，这是帕克最有表现力的乳房镜头之一，另一个是鸟人。女朋友说你这样会死的，你一定要离开，谁也帮不了你，只能靠你自己了。
他最后的逃离十分戏剧，想贿赂狱官，却被带进隔离室，失手把人打死，换上衣服走人。
让人难忘的是他弓着背把钱递到狱官手里，还亲人家的手，一个镜头就把监狱对人的作践全都表现出来了。
珍贵的是影片花絮，真人露面了，他知道片场的布景和演员都是假的，但是他说，所有的恐惧都回来了。
影片还未公映，在试映期间就引起了轰动，成了社会话题。接着在参加戛纳影展后的41天，美国政府与土耳其开始了交换囚犯的谈判，原来电影真有改变现实的力量。
影片发行土耳其，有人要求禁映，但是被法院否决了。单从这一点上说，土耳其的文明程度就高于中国，司法独立呀，这对中国人来说，简直就是个梦想。
《午夜快车》观后感(七)：（转帖）美国人是世界高等国民？
转自刘仰博客http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4134ba900100guxe.html
《午夜快车》（Midnight Express）是一部美国老电影，美国哥伦比亚公司出品，于西元1978上映，去年又推出了30周年纪念版。这部电影充分表现了部分美国人面对世界的一个心态：美国人是最高贵的，其他人都是混蛋，美国公民似乎就是全世界最高等级的国民。
这部电影根据真人真事改编，事件发生于西元1970年。美国青年比利和女友一起到土耳其旅游，在离开土耳其返回美国的时候，比利企图携带毒品登机出境，被土耳其警方在机场抓获。比利一共携带了2公斤毒品，他不得不接受土耳其法律的审判。在案件审理之前，比利还试图逃离羁押，结果被重新抓获。本来应该罪加一等，但是，比利的父亲从美国赶来，开始花钱营救他。
影片先营造了一个氛围。在土耳其监狱里，关押了不少西方人，大多是因为毒品，还有偷东西，还有强奸孩子，但是，影片给观众的印象是，土耳其的法律是一个混蛋法律，刑期都太重了。本来，这是其他国家的主权问题，但是，影片从这里开始，就采用了美国的标准来评价别人。只要不符合美国标准，就是野蛮和混蛋。多年前一个美国青年在新加坡被判鞭刑的案例，克林顿总统亲自出面，干预新加坡的司法判决。在新加坡的那起案例中，美国总统亲自干预司法判决，这种行为在美国国内是不允许的，但是，对于美国之外，美国的权力就可以这么干，双重标准非常明显。
《午夜快车》中，这一双重标准也得到体现。比利的父亲来到土耳其，请了一个土耳其当地律师。该律师说，他要通过关系，找合适的法院、合适的法官来审理和判决本案。影片虽然在这个情节上吞吞吐吐，但是很显然，比利的父亲花钱，对土耳其的相关司法人员进行贿赂。美国经常批评其他国家司法腐败，但是，为了一个美国人，他们投入到腐败之中，加剧别国的司法腐败，而不是接受其他国家法律的公正判决。其他国家的司法腐败如果对美国不利，就是美国指责的对象；其他国家的司法腐败如果对美国有利，就是可以接受的。在《午夜快车》这部根据真实事例改编的电影中，这一双重标准非常清晰。然而，电影创作人员并不是批判美国人的双重标准，而是觉得为了美国人，这种双重标准是天经地义的。
那么，土耳其的司法腐败会如何对待比利？会将比利的轻罪故意判成重罪吗？影片以脸谱化的方式，表现了一个阴险消瘦的土耳其检察官。丑化土耳其检察官的原因，只是因为这个检察官严格按照土耳其的法律规定，以走私毒品罪起诉比利。如果罪名成立，按照土耳其法律，比利将被判终身监禁。因此，秉公执法的检察官并不存在故意加重比利罪行的行为。影片同样以脸谱化手法，表现了一个胖乎乎的土耳其法官，他因为由律师私底下“沟通”的关系，而表现出对比利的“喜欢”，贪赃枉法只要对美国有利，美国并不反对。作为地方法院，这位“和善”的法官否决了阴险的检察官指控的“走私毒品罪”，只认定比利“持有毒品罪”，因此，判定比利在土耳其监狱服刑4年。而事实上，电影创作者没有把故事编造得圆满，他们让比利自己亲口承认，他携带毒品登机，的确是为了到美国卖钱。也就是说，比利自己承认是走私毒品，但是，美国人助长土耳其的司法腐败，非常乐意看到将比利的罪行减轻为“持有毒品”。
电影表达了这样的意思：土耳其判决比利“持有”2公斤毒品服刑4年，是太过严厉、太重的刑罚。这实际上涉及到一个国家的主权问题，美国并没有资格指手画脚。于是，“遵纪守法”的美国人以“宽宏大量”的姿态接受了土耳其的法律判决。虽然这一判决是利用司法腐败、采取贿赂手段后轻判的结果，但是，影片用悲伤的音乐与眼泪大肆渲染，显得美国人遭受了多大的委屈，让人忘了比利犯下了走私毒品的罪行，反而像是一个值得同情的、无辜的受害者。
在比利4年刑期快满的时候，事情又发生了变化。检察官不服法官的判决，向最高法院上诉，坚持要按“走私毒品罪”判决比利。律师再次要求比利花钱贿赂。然而，贿赂并不成功，最高法院35名法官，有28人赞成将比利改判为“走私毒品罪”。从案件的具体细节上，检察官的抗诉，以及最高法院的判决其实是正确的，并非司法腐败，而是严格按照法律办事。土耳其的不受美国人贿赂影响的法制结果，大大惹恼了号称依法治国的美国，大大惹怒了号称尊重法律、遵守法律的美国人。在最高法院判决下达的时候，比利在法庭上的最后陈述，说出了一番极为恶劣的长篇独白。
比利认为自己的4年刑期已经足够抵罪了，他义正词严地指责土耳其的公诉人、法官，向土耳其的司法人员宣讲宽容、公平、公正的含义，彷佛他根本不是一个毒品走私犯，而是上帝的化身。为了表现对土耳其司法人员不懂宽容、公正和公平的蔑视，比利一脸正气地指责土耳其的司法人员都是杂种。土耳其人大多信奉伊斯兰教，穆斯林不吃猪，于是，比利用最恶毒的方式，用“吃屎的猪”辱骂土耳其人。这个美国人大声高呼恨法官、恨公诉人，恨土耳其这个国家，恨土耳其所有的人。这个美国人还宣布要操（fuck）法庭上土耳其人的母亲和女儿，比利说她们都是猪，显得自己渴望与“猪”发生性关系是多么正义和解气。“你们都是猪”！这是这个美国人对土耳其最畅快淋漓的辱骂。这部电影为了表现美国人在土耳其受到了莫须有的委屈，用艺术手法，让比利以每一个穆斯林都绝对不能接受的方式，极为恶毒地辱骂了整个土耳其、整个穆斯林。电影导演让法庭上的土耳其人一言不发，默默接受了比利的语言强暴和精神强暴。即便在美国也有藐视法庭罪。如果影片中的这个情节在土耳其法庭上真实发生，比利一定也会被加上一条罪行：藐视法庭。但是，因为美国人受了“委屈”，为了美国人的发泄，这部美国电影公然藐视所有美国之外的法律。确实，各国的不同文化习俗，使得各国对于各种犯罪行为的判定或量刑标准并不一致。美国可以对其他国家的法律标准不满，但是，把这种不满扩大成为对其他国家的民族仇恨、文化仇恨，实在太过分了。彷佛美国人走私毒品的犯罪行为都可以忽略不计了。
土耳其最高法院的35名法官以民主表决的方式，判决比利走私毒品罪名成立，比利将在土耳其服刑30年，这一没有被美国贿赂左右的民主结果惹恼了一贯号称民主的美国。比利开始策划越狱，结果，因为同监的土耳其犯人“告密”，越狱没有成功。如果按照正常的法律，越狱是严重的违法行为，举报越狱行为丝毫不违反法律，但是，这一行为再次引激发了美国人的仇恨。比利在一次殴打中，咬断了告密者的舌头，其野兽般的狂暴，被电影创作者塑造成反抗黑暗的孤胆英雄。结果，比利没有因为严重伤害他人而加刑，而是经过其他运作，被认定为精神病患。最终，比利又贿赂土耳其狱警，打死狱警，穿上狱警制服逃出了监狱，偷渡到希腊，西元1975年回到美国。成为一个英雄般的凯旋，却丝毫不提他犯下的杀人罪。一条土耳其人命，在美国人眼里，能算什么东西？
这部电影为了塑造美国人的光辉形象，在真实故事的基础上，做了大量的虚构编造和人为取舍，其目的就是丑化土耳其人，美化美国人的“正义”和“英勇”。美国人掌握着比土耳其人更大的话语权，使得世界只听到美国人的声音。这就是美国人眼里的美国人的价值。为了美国人，他们可以挑衅其他国家的法律，不管是否应该遵守别人的法律，不管是否应该拒绝他们一贯指责他人的司法腐败；伤害了土耳其人，是因为土耳其人没有让美国人成功逃避法律应有的制裁；剥夺土耳其人的生命，是因为要使违法乱纪的美国人获得自由。当这个美国人在美国获得自由的时候，他所犯下的一系列罪行，在美国人看来，都不算什么。别人所遭受的伤害、死亡、辱骂，都是活该。只有美国人代表正义，美国人最重要，美国人是世界上最高等的国民，……这就是这部电影向人们表达的观念。
《午夜快车》观后感(八)：Cling to the Hope in a Nightmare
Midnight Express, directed by Alan Parker, was released in 1978, starring Brad Davis. It is based on a true story: a naive American boy William, who suffers a lot from being tortured and beaten in a Turkish prison because of attempting to smuggle several kilos of hashish, ends up with successfully escaping that inferno. As for me, after watching this film I feel that it plays very much like a nightmare in which although the leading character is suffering, he never gives up the hope to survive and get out of the terrible place.
It wouldn’t be better to describe the situation William is in as a nightmare. Personally, the very second when he comes up with the idea to smuggle several kilos of hashish serves to be the prologue of this nightmare. Fast heart pulsation, frequently chewing the gum and nonstop sweating admittedly prove that he is so nervous and timid that he is not even aware of what kind of aftermath is coming close. He gets busted and loses the chance to return home with his lover. It is not until he is sent into the jail that he realizes that he is already trapped in the nightmare. What he finds in the cell is nothing but a squalid bed without any warm thing, not to mention a blanket. At that first night, he is severely flogged by Luthern, head of the prison, who treats him like an animal. Perhaps we can hardly imagine how many horrible nights he goes through again and again when he is the prison. Moreover, Turkish legal system plays such a tremendous joke with William that his hope of going home is thoroughly devastated by the escalation of the sentence. As a popular Chinese saying goes, it is really detrimental to turn the light off when pursuers are approaching it. Literally, as for William, finishing the four-year sentence and going home is the light; the prosecutor, the judge and the prison guards are the devils who extinguish this light, making the darkness continue.
evertheless, William has never given up the hope even at the darkest moment. It is interesting to watch the depiction of William’s transformation during the four year prison stay. Obviously William initially thinks his father will be able to get him out of there. When he finds out that it is not the case, he accepts the reality. He begins to count the days left to return home. The more the number decreases, the greater his joy of going home will be. The prison seems like a community; everyone in it has his own status. Prison guards are the upper class, and they have numerous privileges; prisoners, to the contrary, possess few basic human rights. William learns quickly that insubordinate behavior is not tolerated and that punishment will be swift, unjust and brutal. Besides, Max, Eric and Billy become his close friends and confidants, all of whom are aliens in Turkey. Apart from coping with being locked up in a foreign country, they also often deal with the treacherous behavior of Rifki, a trustee who is allowed to profit on the inside exchange for keeping tabs of the other inmates and reporting any infractions. Furthermore, in the end, it is the hope given by Susan that leads him to successfully escape. After all, home is always his spiritual support, sustaining his strength to move on till the end.
On the whole, by painting the atmospheric brooding dread, unrelenting darkness and torture, plus reveling in its graphic depiction of violence, the nightmare becomes vivid; clinging to the hope of going home, William struggles to come to life.
《午夜快车》观后感(九)：小弟的大學要求寫的影評
上課的時候教授要求寫的....參考了許多此板大大們的影評寫出來的...有興趣看看吧....:) [劇情透露]
Midnight Express Movie Review
Almost all great films about prison break are not simply action-packed ticket-sellers that seek to thrill the audience. What makes these films great is the depth they went into to explore the darkest and at the same time, the brightest themes of human society and lives. Corruption, violence, sexual abuse, justice, injustice, homosexuality, dignity, love, freedom and hope, all of which are seen throughout the whole film. The setting itself is another interesting topic, meaning the prison, like a microcosm of the society outside. Overall, the film tells a story of man’s endeavor to self-redemption and self-justice against odds from the political and structural obstacles of the real world, despite a sensible political undertone against Islamic nations.
The Story
On October 6, 1970, Billy Hayes, an American is on a trip back to America from Turkey with his girlfriend Susan. While boarding a flight at the Istanbul Airport, Billy is caught smuggling 2 kilos of dope. He is told by the authorities that if he cooperates in finding the actual drug dealer he will be released. For some reasons he tries to escape after the assistance and is captured. With the support from the American embassy, he is sentenced to only over four years for possession of drug, but is exempted from the more serious charges of smuggling and drug dealing.
The prison as expected is not a very hospitable place. It is crowded, filthy and ruled over by Warden Hamidou who punishes the prisoners with harsh physical and mental tortures. Billy, however, does manage to befriend a few inmates, an American named Jimmy, who is imprisoned for stealing candlesticks from a mosque, and an English named Max, who is sentenced for over 12 years for smuggling 100 grams of drug. At this point, it is becoming obvious that foreign prisoners are only tools and sacrifices in political maneuvers between the Turkish government and other Western governments. The only seeming way out is to catch the "midnight express", namely prison break. The inmates start planning the escape routes.
Many of their attempts failed, and the “insider” prisoner Rifki informs Hamidou on their scheme. Jimmy is taken away to brutal punishment. Max and Billy take revenge to Rifki by destroying his dashed money. Without any evidence, however, Rifki frames Max, and Max meets a similar fate as Tommy does. As Billy is told the court resentence him to up to 30 years in prison on drug smuggling, he cannot contain his emotions any longer. He attacks Rifki and bites off part of his tongue.
After many months in the prison ward for the insane, Billy is at the brink of total breakdown. This is when his girlfriend Susan visits and delivers him her love, hope to survive and some cash hidden within a photography book. Billy starts to plan to escape again. He bribes the Warden and asks to be transferred to the sanatorium where there is a chance of escaping. Instead, Hamidou drags Billy to a cell, beats him down and tries to rape him. In despair, Billy kills Hamidou and escapes with the Warden’s outfit. And it is revealed that Billy flees to Greece and flies his way back to The States and the reunion with his family.
Justice and Injustice
Often times when we try to define justice and injustice, we resort to the laws, which supposedly take into account the moral standards of a given society. But this is not necessary when the government takes other things onto their priority list such as their power of control, political stability, economic interests and in this case, political maneuvers with foreign nations. Under such conditions, laws can no longer uphold justice but become a tool wielded by the government for their own propuses.
In the movie, it is revealed that Nixon’s US government is at bad terms with the Turkish government. As a result foreign prisoners become valuable assets to the Turkish government in dealing with The US. In a beginning of the film, passengers for international flights not only need to pass through normal airport checking routines, before they board, soldiers also search their bodies one by one, and Billy is then found carrying dope. Let Billy’s personal case aside, this measure is questionable. It might be due to the Turkish government’s tightened measures against drug-smuggling, but it might very well be a political measure to attain more foreign prisoners.
In the prison, Billy learns that many foreign inmates are serving unreasonable sentence years. It might be the result of difference in customary laws regarding crimes in different countries, but it might as well be a way to retain the government’s valuable assets, as Billy after almost finishing serving his initial sentence, faces serious charges of smuggling and is resentenced up to 30 years in jail. It makes one wonder what causes such an abrupt change, could it be the result of a worsen diplomatic relationship with Turkey and The US？ Either way, justice is vague. Should a man of a certain sociocultural upbringing face criminal charges in a different sociocultural background？ Where is justice for individuals when they are of only small part of a much bigger scheme？
illy, at his defense in court against smuggling charges, says “What is crime, what is punishment？ It seems to vary from time to time, from place to place. What’s legal today is suddenly illegal tomorrow because some society says so. What’s illegal yesterday is legal today because everybody’s doing it. They can’t put everybody in jail.” Ironically it seems that his words are not even translated properly to the judge, assuming the judge does not speak English. So if the system does not grant individual justice, the only justice one can find is through self-redemption, a prison break, a breach through the system. This is the underlying premise in most prison break stories from “Shawshank Redemption” in 1995 to the hit American TV series “Prison Break” and to “The Next Three Days” in 2010. These screenplays’ success implies an unshakable belief in moral justice that most people uphold but is often disregarded due to different sociopolitical or cultural circumstances.
rison and Society
One might expect prison to be a place of rehibilitation and reeducation for the social deviated so that they can be reassimilated back to the society. In reality, however, prison is hardly such a place in a sense that it has its own power control, hierarchy, division that works like ethnicity and nationality, social rules and taboos. The prison with all these elements as a whole is but a microcosm of the society that it derived from. Similar to Marxist’s idea of the base and the superstructure, people with a certain set of sociocultural upbringings recreate the prison to be functional in the same way as the society does.
In the prison in "Midnight Express", ethnic or racial division is not clearly observed due to the relative narrow ethnic spectrum of the Turks, so the most prominent division is between the local and the foreign. The prison in America, however, as observed in "The Shawshank Redemption" or "The Next Three Days", is devided mostly among the white, the black, the Asian and the Mexican. This reveals the exact same way the respective societies devide themselves. What does not change is human’s tendency to corruption, and this is seen very clearly in the film. When Billy’s father comes to Turkey to hire a local lawyer in Billy’s defence, the lawyer tells them that with money favourable court and judge can be arraged, and it does seem to work out seeing that Billy is only doing 4 years without serious charges of drug-smuggling.
It is the same trick but different places.
Hope and Prison
In "The Shawshank Redemption" Morgan Freeman speaks of "Institutionalization", and likewise Al Pacino in "Carlito’s Way" talks about his thoughts on prison "You don’t get reformed, you just run out of wind." The harsh reality in prison strips a man off everything he ever possesses that can define himself. Your possession is gone when you go in jail, your connections fade as family, friends and lover slowly drift away, your dignity is no more when someone forces you to fellatio, and hope is perhaps the most important thing above all, that once lost dooms a man.
One can see how devastated Billy is after hearing he is resentenced to more than 30 years in jail for smuggling. A hope for freedom taken away like that can drive anyone mad. Jimmy loses himself fanatically trying to escape and meets a gruesome end, and Max withers to a walking corpse after too much torture. Even out of prison, one has not really left the prison. The old man Brook’s tragic suicide in "The Shawshank Redemption" proves just that. If Susan does not come to visit Billy and gives him the desire and hope to survive and self-rescue, it is not difficult to imagine how his fate will be sealed. Andy Dufresne says in his letter to Red "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things." It indeed is despite the various sociocultural background that an individual might be from.
The American Bias and Propaganda
From most modern and western point of view, the escape of Billy from prison might strike one as of a noble cause or is it？ In the film, it is depicted that many foreigners are imprisoned on heavy sentences due to but "relatively" mild criminal deeds. Based on American standards, these sentences are unjust and barbaric, but is judicial freedom and independence not so highly upheld by the so-called democratic America？ A few years back, The US president Clinton personally arrived in Singapore and successfully intervened with a case of a teenager being sentenced to caning. Such action is never seen among The States, but it however could be applied outside The US judicial boundaries.
Corruption is considered a despicable crime in America, who often times criticizes other non-western countries for their corrupted bureaucracy and judiciary. However, in "Midnight Express" Billy and his father’s maneuvers to bribe the authorities for more favorable courts and judge are considered a justified mean to a noble end. This image of direct involvement in a corrupt judiciary system proves hypocritical to what The US government advocates.
In an interview with the real Billy Hayes, based on whose story this film was shot, he revealed that contrary to what is depicted in the film, the prison guards and wardens were mostly fair and hard-working, and only one guard as he recalled punished prisoners for whatever reasons. In reality, Billy did not kill anyone, and the Rifki character was solely created for the film, and the antagonist Warden Hamious did not die by Billy’s hand but was shot to death by a discharged prisoner. After learning these facts, it makes one wonder if "Midnight Express" is but an American propaganda against Islamic or Arabic nations. Ironically, the film was allowed to be screened in Turkey. No matter the purposes the film was made for, artistic or commercial, it is not easy to ignore the sociocultural background of the place of production.
Other
The film’s heart-wrenching soundtrack composed by Giorgio Moroder won both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes for Best Original Score in 1979. Although the score is scarcely scattered through the film, leaving most of the scenes unaccompanied, it however adds more sense of realism and the occasional Arabic tunes display perfectly the Islamic setting of the film. The most memorable themes are the love theme and the ending theme which are very fitting and moving.
Cast-wise, Brad Davis for the role of Billy Hayes, Irene Miracle for the role of Susan and John Hurt for the role of Max received highly positive critics, winning respective Golden Globes awards for the year. Sadly, Brad Davis died of AIDS complications in 1991 at the age of 41, leaving his wife and only child.