Review of Midnight Express (1978) by Jennifer A — 03 Jun 2008

More library rentals. Today we look at two 1970's prison films, Papillon and Midnight Express, both based on true stories.

[b]Papillon (1973) - 7.2/10[/b].

Director - Franklin J. Schaffner.

Starring - Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Don Gordon, Victor Jory, Anthony Zerbe,.

Steve McQueen stars as Henri Charriere, aka Papillon, who is incarcerated in a French penal colony known as Devil's Island. Papillon claims he was falsely convicted of murder. At one point Papillon saves the live of convicted counterfeiter Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman) and the two become friends. All Papillon wants to do is escape, so he and Dega concoct plan after plan in hope of finding freedom.

[i]Papillon[/i] is a solid and sometimes very compelling entry into the prison escape genre. Schaffner does a good job of conveying the brutality of Devil's Island as well as setting up the relationship of Papillon and Dega. However once the characters and motivations are established, his direction sometimes meanders and confuses. The ending is frustrating too. However Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman are both convincing in their roles. We understand Papillon's urgency and motivations. I only wish the film was consistent from beginning to end. That said McQueen and Hoffman are very good and the film does offer enough memorable (and genre-influential) moments to make this a worthwhile viewing.

[b]Midnight Express (1978) - 7.7/10[/b].

Director - Alan Parker.

Starring - Brad Davis, John Hurt, Randy Quaid, Paolo Bonacelli, Paul L. Smith, Mike Kellin, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins.

Based on a true story, Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) is a young American tourist arrested in Turkey for trying to smuggle two kilos of hashish out of the country. Initially sentenced to three years in a Turkish prison, the length is abruptly changed 50 days before his release. Wanting to set an example for Americans, his new sentence is thirty years. With no imminent release, Hayes and fellow inmates Jimmy (Randy Quaid) and Max (John Hurt) plan their "Midnight Express", Turkish slang for escape.

On the surface [i]Midnight Express[/i] may seem less ambitious than [i]Papillon [/i]due to it's more straight-forward style of story-telling, but it's a more cohesive and consistently engaging drama because of it. Billy is just your average college-aged kid during the Vietnam War era. He knows what he's doing is illegal, but cannot comprehend the potential consequences. What we see is a Turkish judicial system that changes on a whim and a rather primitive and brutal prison that lends itself to acts of violence and rebellion. The Academy Award winning screenplay, written by Oliver Stone, is solid. The camera work is often very good, especially revealing when Billy ends up in the insane asylum. The film is well-paced and smartly edited. Brad Davis looks a bit like Brad Pitt to me and he's pretty good in the film as are supporting players John Hurt and Randy Quaid. Overall a good film and much better than the similar [i]Brokedown Palace[/i].