Customer Reviews

Midnight Express

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Many of the reviews that I have read about Midnight Express seem to focus on whether Billy Hayes was a smuggler or not, and, having established that he was then go on to tarnish everything he says and dismiss all that has happened to him. whether or not he was a possessor or a smuggler is irrevelant - it is almost certain that he was a smuggler, as he states in the book and film that he did it for money. The point that people seem to want to gloss over is that he spent far too long in a Turkish Hell-hole, with a regime that no-one deserves. I wouldn't subject my worst enemy to such a depraved and abused existence. The book by Mr Hayes and William Hoffer graphically depicts the Turkish mis-justice system for what it is. to serve an entire sentence only to have it re-heard and re-sentenced is cruel and barbaric. The Turkish prison system is accurately depicted in the book and film, as can be proved by reading any of the other books about prison regimes in many similar countries - not just Turkey. The book is quite excellent and one of the best reads that I can remember: it is just a pity that it is out of print, people will now be denied the chance to read and judge it for themselves. Anyone with current information on either of the authors please let me know; also if there is a copy for sale in a shop near Liverpool, England.

Please note that at the time of Billy Hayes's story, Turkey was basically a dictatorship; just as Spain, Greece, Portugal, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc. were. 30 years ago Turkey along with the other countries just named all had dictators and were not 100% free societies. Therefore his portrait of Turkey and their justice system is true. One must remember however that a lot has changed since 30 years ago. This should make people be aware Turkey is not like this today. It was, however, like this in 1970. Therefore, judging the book by one's ideas of Turkey today is a faux pas. No one would judge Germany of today when reading William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. So beware that many reviews of this book are biased and based on their views of the Turkey of today and not of 1970. Also, be advised that any person who lived through Billy Hayes's horror would no doubt have formed strong opinions on an entire people and society especially when still fresh. Such angers only leave after generations of people. Lastly, though the movie is excellent and follows closely to the book in some cases, the movie screenplay was written by Oliver Stone who rewrites his work for his own agenda and also uses his work as propaganda for some unknown cause which only he knows in that mind of his. He has done so in this case, changing many things that the book says and creating completely fictional accounts that never happened to Billy Hayes.

This young man's adventures in a Turkish prison are simply fascinating, and told very well. This book is one of the few that I was sincerely sorry that it had to end. My only complaint is that it is a little too slick, a little too Hollywood-ready. It would be interesting to read an account that showed a little more of the warts-and-all detail of the experience. It's a pity that this is out of print. And in answer to one of the reviewers comments below about what this book says about Turkey, well, in my opiniion, this book is an attack on Turkey. The author has almost nothing good to say about Turkey, and he never loses an opportunity to slag it off. But I am definitely interested in finding books that portray modern Turkey, and other countries in this region, in a more positive light. There never was a region that more needed reabilitating in the world's eyes, than the middle east today, I believe. Another good reason to read this book is to show the difference between it and the popular film that was made of it. It was quite an eye opener to me to find that two of the most horrific and lurid episodes that occur in the movie, do not occur in the book, most notably, the disgusting tongue-biting-off sequence.

Great Read. I would suggest it to anybody. Watch when you pick it up. If you have plans in a few hours, then you might wanna set an alarm.

The real story ... not as exciting as the movie, but an honest portrayal of Billy Hayes' ordeal.

I think the movie should have been made like the book in the first place, but Oliver Stone wanted something much more sensationalistic and xenophobic. Not positive, but I'm quite sure one of the main reasons Billy wrote the book was so he could pay back his father for trying to get him out of Turkey. His family was not wealthy and borrowed on their house to give him money while he was in prison and for lawyer fees.

Even though this book has been out of print for awhile, I so wish they would have a remake that is at least 90% faithful to the book, especially the end

I COULDN'T READ THIS BOOK FAST ENOUGH. IT HAD ME ENTRALLED FROM PAGE ONE AND I HAD ALREADY SEEN THE MOVIE. OUR PRISONS ARE CAKE COMPARED TO OTHER PLACES IN THE WORLD. EXCELLENT BOOK!

This was a rare instance when I saw the movie before I read the book. The movie, although excellent, left me a little empty inside because I needed to know if the whole story had been told correctly. We all know, nine times out of ten, the book version of a movie is usually more accurate, has more detail, more events and incidents, more detail about the characters in the background such as parents etc., and is much more realistic. It was true with this story too! The book did turn out to be much more revealing and I found many incidents in the book which were not in the movie as I'd thought the case would be. The book is about a real life drug smuggling incident which occured in Turkey. Billy Hayes claimed it was the 'first' time he'd ever done such a thing but I have heard differently in the press. Anyway, Billy was caught with a moderate amount of drugs on his body. The same amount found on someone in the USA would probably result in a small fine if it were the person's first offense. That wasn't the case for Billy who after being questioned by the Turkish police for many hours, ended up in the most hellish prison with a wide assortment of inmates. There were even children in the prison who had been caught stealing. The book is a page turner which describes in great detail, the pure hell that Billy goes through as his ordeal unwinds. From his many court appearances to his daily problems of survival at the prison. If this book is true, then Billy went through the worst experience of a lifetime but if he's making the story sound a little more dramatic by telling lies to the reader, then I don't feel sorry for him at all. He broke the law and the law says, you must pay for your crimes. The problem I have with Billy's criminal act was the horrendous sentence he received for his crime for being in the wrong place. I do hope his story is truthful though otherwise, he made a lot of money off of the book and the movie rights from people like us who believed he'd been to hell and back. I've been hearing so many contradictory statements concerning his book that I have been wondering about it. Either way, whether you saw the movie or not, this book is a fantastic, page turner which will keep you on the edge of your seat! Then when you've read the book first (which I wish I'd done), then rent the video and see the movie! Talk about heartstopper!

Extrenely well crafted story. There have been questions raised about exactly how factual the events are, but really, I don't care about that stuff. This is one of those books that if you start in the morning you could finish by the evening because the pages seem to turn themselves. William Hayes had help writing it, though. But it's extremely well-done: he doesn't get into his backstory too much, doesn't drift off into politics or human rights, doesn't talk about culture or philosophy. Just sticks to the adventure. There are no slow parts.

Two things:

1. I'm glad he put the sodomy scene in there. If he hadn't, I simply wouldn't have trusted this.
2. Shame that William Hayes eventually went back to Turkey and apologized for besmirching their reputation. No way, man. Forget them. As someone once wrote, you can judge how civilized a people are by how they treat their prisoners.

I read this book shortly after seeing the movie for the first time, and, as the situation usually is, the book is better than the movie. It is much more detailed (only in the book did I discover that the man who the story is about went to the same college that I am going to and studied the same subject that I am studying over 30 years ago...small world, huh?). The book goes deeper into the scenes with much more detail and includes many more scenes and a completely different ending. The book was a bit disturbing to read, but it was very realistic and brought me into such a petrifying situation and a dangerous world that hopefully I will never have to be in. While the lesson that this book teaches is not an in-your-face one, it is pretty obvious and very valuable: don't be a stupid foreigner and attempt to smuggle drugs out of another country because you WILL get caught (and even if you don't think you will, YOU WILL). This book was very touching and I would like to thank Billy Hayes for sharing his story with us.