Midnight Express
Walk into the incredible true experience of Billy Hayes. And bring all the courage you can.
Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of a country.The courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison.Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
- Director
- Alan Parker
- Signature
- Drama · Craft · Tension
- Worldwide
- $35M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How Midnight Express actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Perfect if you enjoyed
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of a country. The courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
Why We Recommend It
Why It's Ranked
Midnight Express appears in 2 Nutevio collections. Here is the argument behind each placement.
- Best Courtroom Dramas Ranked #18
Placed at #18 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Best Prison Movies Ranked #31
Placed at #31 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
The record
Awards
9 wins · 6 nominations
Academy Awards
2 wins · 6 nominations
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Director
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Film Editing
Golden Globes
3 wins
- WinnerGolden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama
- WinnerGolden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
- WinnerGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
BAFTA Awards
3 wins
- WinnerBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- WinnerBAFTA Award for Best Direction
- WinnerBAFTA Award for Best Editing
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
1 win
- WinnerNational Board of Review: Top Ten Films
The numbers
Box Office & Release
Midnight Express returned 15.2× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $2M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $35M
- Release date
- Aug 31, 1978
- Runtime
- 2h 1m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- English, French
- Country
- United Kingdom, United States of America
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
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