Midnight Express (DVD)

Midnight Express (1978) starring Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Randy Quaid, John Hurt. Based on a true story. In 1970, American tourist Billy Hayes (Davis) tries to smuggle two kilos of hashish out of Turkey and gets caught. He is sentenced to four years in a Turkish prison for possession, which his Turkish lawyer assures him is a lenient sentence. After three and a half years in hellish conditions, with his sentence nearing its end, he learns that the prosecutor has appealed his sentence, and he is re-sentenced by the appeals court to 30 years in prison. Finally, at wit's end, he decides he must try to escape. It's virtually impossible not to get caught up in Billy's horrible fate, and to root for him as he goes through his ordeal. The subtitles are very good, although there are several stretches where Turkish is spoken and no subtitles are offered. Grade: B+