Review by Gary Tooze

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Description: Forever embroiled in controversy, Midnight Express divides viewers into opposing camps: those who think it's one of the most intense real-life dramas ever made, and those who abhor its manipulative tactics and alteration of facts for the exploitative purpose of achieving a desired effect. That effect is powerfully achieved, regardless of how you may feel about director Alan Parker and Oscar®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone's interpretation of the story of Billy Hayes. It was the American Hayes--played by the late Brad Davis in an unforgettable performance--who was caught smuggling two kilograms of hashish while attempting to board a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, in 1970. He was sentenced to four years in a hellish Turkish prison on a drug possession charge, but his sentence was later extended (though not by 30 years, as the film suggests), and Hayes endured unthinkable brutality and torture before his escape in 1975.

 

 

The Film:

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
 

Midnight Express looks about as good as it can on Blu-ray from Sony. Dusty locales in Turkey and Greece seem fittingly gritty with a brownish aura claustrophobically circumventing many scenes even beyond the 'prison'. While the visuals benefit from the move to HD - it may not reach the expectations of some adopters of this new format. Detail is never apparent in crystal clarity and close-ups often seem overwhelmed by the deep grain. Color never expands to brilliance but this, too, seems an intentional appearance. Comparing to an existing SD-DVD may have been more revealing but I don't own one at this time.  Daylight scenes are more impressive but darkness and shadows are a constant within most scenes. This Blu-ray has a nice realistic feel with the only black-mark being the grain which can look so intense in monochromatic blackness that it appears more like digital noise.  By modern standards this is fairly tame visually but as a representation of the original - I doubt much more could be done.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are offered a 5.1 TrueHD track at only 1260 Kbps.  There are a few moments of notable separation but overall the film has a reasonably tame track without substantial buoyancy. Giorgio Moroder's original score sounds quite strong and impacting. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu tells me this is region FREE playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
The film remains quite harrowing although seems tamer and more one-sided now than when it initially appeared over 30-years ago. The extras are an excellent inclusion and help appreciation of the production and back-story and this Blu-ray is priced well for what you are getting. Purchasers may wish to temper their expectations regarding the image quality but the film's more vital attributes are exported with a high level of humanity and tension. It is still worth seeing - especially in this, the best available, transfer. 

Gary Tooze

July 17th, 2009