“Midnight Express” impacted me a major way as a young man. It was a powerful film written by Oliver Stone before he became an Oscar winning director that told the true story of Billy Hayes who was arrested for trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. His nightmare experience in Turkish prison was a gripping and disturbing experience that I’ve never forgotten. His escape back to America was one of the most exciting sequences I’ve ever seen on film.

Here’s the nerve wracking scene at the airport when Billy gets arrested. Great acting by the late Brad Davis who died in 1991 at the age of 41 due to AIDS contracted during drug addiction in 1979.

The amazing ending when he finally escapes.

Billy talks about his book which reveals the truth behind Midnight Express. The biggest complaint he had was how badly the turkish people were portrayed.

I love Giorgio Moroder’s music for Midnight Express. Here’s CHASE

The Love Theme with the scene where Billy’s girlfriend visits him in prison.

The Original trailer