Bad acting, bad writing, bad camerawork, bad... everything. Well, except the score, I guess. How was this nominated for Best Picture again?

Sometimes it slips up almost beyond repair, and the acting is pretty bad (John Hurt being the usual exception), but the claustrophobic atmosphere keeps the sense of desperation going.

i won't be smuggling drugs any time soon i don't think

Exploitative, yes, but it is also moving, tense and absorbing. Brad Davis and John Hurt are key ingredients to the dramatic verisimilitude of this film.

Huge gaps are left out of the story in this 'based on' adaptation, and combined with small niggles here and there make it a one-watch job. The direction's okay but not fantastic, and there are some bizarre scenes that pop up suddenly to really knock you sideways (the gay shower music video must be one of the weirdest cuts in any film ever). The Oscar-winning synth score may have been state of the art at the time but now just adds to the b-movie atmosphere. The book might be worth a read.

Classic, but not the best

John Hurt is bloody brilliant. And even Randy Quaid's not half bad. A story about some who never give up, and others who do only when it's already too late.

This film is brutal, raw, and engrossing. I am aware that the film deviates heavily from the book written by Hayes particularly in terms of his treatment by the Turkish guards. But, when taken on it%u2019s own as fiction it can be better enjoyed. The opening scene leading up to Hayes%u2019 capture is my favorite. I knew what had to happen in order for the film to progress but I was still on the edge of my seat. I must admit though, I had trouble feeling empathy for the American drug smuggler.

A fine film about the perils of drug smuggling. Best scene is where imprisoned protagonist, having been thrown into the section for the mentally ill, asks his girlfriend to strip during a visit, and then masturbates in front of her - whilst crying. Then you're pretty fucked...

Riveting. John Hurt is incredible. The homosexuality element was handled strangely though.

"Midnight Express" is a powerful dramatization of an apparently not-so-true story. Parker's direction is potent and assured, Stone's script is one of the tightest he's ever written, while the acting is excellent, especially that of Davis and Hurt. Although the inaccuracies, as well as the questionable moral (Turks are bad?) bring this down quite a lot, it remains a thoroughly engrossing and forceful film.

Terrible on more than a few levels. Unsympathetic main character, random gay scene without any context, laughable finale... No idea why this is supposed to be so acclaimed.