Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Midnight Express (1978)

Director: Alan Parker

Average user rating
1 review

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

A meaty anecdote, heavily fictionalised from a factual source, about an American kid on a dope charge going through Hell in a Turkish jail. Some of the performances (Hurt, Davis) give it an illusion of depth, but it's mostly expert in avoiding moral resonance and ambiguity: everything is satisfyingly clear-cut, just as every shot and every cut are geared to instant emotional impact. Political, moral and aesthetic problems arise when you try to superimpose the film on the 'truth' it purports to represent. As a head-banging thriller, though, it makes some of Hollywood's hoariest stereotypes seem good as new, and it panders to its audience's worst instincts magnificently.

Author: TR

Time Out Film Guide


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

User reviews of this film

  • Atom said...
    Posted on Mar 18 2008 05:47 Class film, intense,know its based on real, but come on, you have to add bits to make film better for film lovers, and there is noting wrong with that.Want to watch a documentry?then watch a documentry! Great film, 10 out of 10,Some people make the most silly comments lol. get real lol
    Report as inappropriate

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Kings of Comedy?

Kings of Comedy?

As Russell Crowe prepares a Bill Hicks biopic, we ask which Hollywood bigshots could play comedians

Juliette Binoche: interview

Juliette Binoche: interview

The great French actress Juliette Binoche discusses film and painting with Dave Calhoun

An A-Z of classic movie cameos

An A-Z of classic movie cameos

As Tom Cruise makes a 'surprise' appearance in 'Tropic Thunder', Time Out presents our rundown of classic cameos

The Coens' 'Burn after Reading': review

The Coens' 'Burn after Reading': review

Pitt and Clooney star in the Coen brothers' latest, 'Burn After Reading', which opened the 2008 Venice film festival

Guy Ritchie on ‘RocknRolla’

Guy Ritchie on ‘RocknRolla’

Wally Hammond talks to Guy Ritchie about his latest film, ‘RocknRolla’ which sees him safely back in his old manor among the familiar carnival of villains, scams and high-octane spills and thrills

Saul Dibb on ‘The Duchess’

Saul Dibb on ‘The Duchess’

Dave Calhoun discovers from director Saul Dibb that his latest, 'The Duchess’ is far from your typical aristos-in-love movie