アメリカと中東諸国との間で緊迫した国際情勢が続いている７０年代、アメリカ人旅行者ビリー・ヘイズはイスタンブール空港からアメリカへ麻薬を運び出そうとしていた。だがこの時、彼は麻薬不法所持、密輸の罪でトルコ当局に逮捕され、現地の刑務所に投獄されてしまう。恐怖と寂寥感に苛まれるも、所内で出会った２人のアメリカ人ジミーとエリックに励まされていくビリー。ところが、駆けつけてきた父や弁護士、アメリカ領事館の助けを借りて挑んだ裁判で、４年の刑を宣告されてしまう。
製作費: $2,300,000 (3億円)
興行収入: $35,000,000 (53億円)
推定収支: $32,700,000 (49億円)
※製作費・興行収入はTMDBのデータを参照しています。収支は(興行収入 - 製作費)で算出したFindKey独自の推定値であり、広告宣伝費や諸経費は含まれません (1ドル=150円換算)。
監督: アラン・パーカー
脚本: オリバー・ストーン / Billy Hayes / William Hoffer
音楽: Giorgio Moroder
制作: ピーター・グーバー / Alan Marshall / David Puttnam
撮影監督: Michael Seresin
Midnight Express is a harrowing story based on true events. Brad Davis delivers an outstanding performance with great supporting roles from John Hurt, Randy Quaid. It was an adapted Screenplay written by Oliver Stone which won him his first Oscar. Georgia Maroda (spelling)soundtrack is really riveting as the ‘chase’ scene unfolds. This is a movie that will stay with you for life. They say that ‘Midnight Express’ did to Turkeys tourism, what ‘Jaws’ did to bathing in the sea. Highly recommended.
Hmmm. I’m not sure time has been so kind to this, and as we look on it now it comes across as a rather condescending and stereotypical judgement of a Turkish penal system that dared to deal harshly with a drug smuggler. That character “Billy” (Brad Davis) doesn’t make it through immigration as he tries to leave Istanbul with loads of hashish strapped to his torso whilst sweating nervously. Initially, he is released on bail on the basis that he helps the authorities to trace his suppliers, but he decides to pull a fast one and that just ends up with him on the wrong end of a four year prison sentence. Now there’s no denying that life in the prison is brutal and the chief guard and slightly sexually ambiguous “Hamidou” (Paul L. Smith) has clearly got it in for the attractive young American and is aided and abetted by the odious prison Quisling “Rifki” (Paolo Bonacelli) who doesn’t much care for “Billy” either. Luckily, he does manage to make a few friends, not least the ailing Briton “Max” (John Hurt) and they manage to keep him on the straight and narrow for a while, but as some stomach-churning news reaches the young man on the verge of his release, it becomes clear that if he is to get out he is going to have to resort to more drastic action. What bothered me about this whole thing is that the entire premise seemed to be squarely attempting to illicit sympathy from us for this young man, even though he is undoubtedly guilty of his crime, by creating a culture amongst the Turks of obesity, brutishness, arbitrary violence and even a degree of depravity. At no point does Alan Parker make any effort to remind us that this real-life idiot was imprisoned because of his own actions - rather arrogant and selfish ones at that, too - and that perhaps the court was indeed trying to make an example of him to deter other likeminded individuals whose contempt for Turkey was just as culpable as his. Might we in the West not react the same if someone was caught here, and have we never seen films depicting atrocities in our own prisons? I don’t like being manoeuvred into a position where I’m encouraged to sympathise for a character just because of excess and exaggeration provided for creative licence. Davis, it also has to be said, looks easy enough on the eye but his acting prowess is ropey and inconsistent throughout. Indeed it’s really only Hurt and Bonacelli who can lay claim to any dramatic plaudits as this dark and gritty drama leads us by the nose. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime - even if you are an American!
