Overview
A harrowing journey of survival and desperation unfolds behind prison walls.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- harrowing
- oppressive
- visceral
- intense drama night
- true story film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as gripping, raw, and powerful in its depiction of incarceration, while many fault its sensationalism, uneven lead performance, and hostile stereotyping of Turkey.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Billy is trapped by a harsh prison regime, an extended sentence, and authorities who control nearly every avenue of escape.
The American protagonist’s imprisonment in Turkey is framed through a strongly hostile depiction of Turkish guards, prisoners, and institutions.
The prison’s sadistic authority, torture, and constant threat of punishment make endurance itself the film’s dominant source of suspense.
The phrase “catch the midnight express” turns escape into the central imagined means of regaining control over Billy’s life.
Films like Midnight Express, and why
The Shawshank Redemption
harrowing prison drama centered on institutional brutality, endurance, and escape
Papillon
intense true-story incarceration drama with oppressive institutions and psychological survival
In the Name of the Father
politically charged prison film using confinement and abuse to generate dread and outrage
Movie Details
- Director
- Alan Parker
- Release Date
- 1978-08-31
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (1955)
Cast
- Brad Davis
- Irene Miracle
- Bo Hopkins
- Paolo Bonacelli
- Paul L. Smith
- Randy Quaid
- Norbert Weisser
- John Hurt
- Mike Kellin
- Franco Diogene
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Midnight Express about?
- An American hashish smuggler’s desperate struggle to survive a brutal Turkish prison becomes a raw, nightmarish fight for freedom.
- What is Midnight Express like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Midnight Express as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Midnight Express violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Midnight Express as brutal.
- What did critics think of Midnight Express?
- Critics broadly regard the film as gripping, raw, and powerful in its depiction of incarceration, while many fault its sensationalism, uneven lead performance, and hostile stereotyping of Turkey.
- Which films are like Midnight Express?
- Films with a similar feel include The Shawshank Redemption, Papillon, and In the Name of the Father.
- How long is Midnight Express?
- Midnight Express runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Midnight Express?
- In United States, Midnight Express streams on fuboTV, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
