Watch Midnight Return: The Story Of Billy Hayes And Turkey

Midnight Return: The Story Of Billy Hayes And Turkey is a 2016 documentary film that explores the real-life story of Billy Hayes, a young American who was arrested and imprisoned in Turkey during the 1970s. The film is directed by Sally Sussman and features interviews with a number of prominent figures, including director Alan Parker, producer David Puttnam, and composer Giorgio Moroder.

The movie tells the story of Billy Hayes, a young man from New York who is caught smuggling hashish out of Turkey in 1970. He is initially sentenced to four years in prison, but his sentence is then changed to life imprisonment, and he spends five years in a nightmarish Turkish prison before he manages to escape and make his way back to the United States.

The film explores the circumstances that led to Hayes' arrest, as well as his experiences in prison and his eventual escape. Through interviews with Hayes himself, as well as with his family and friends, the film paints a vivid portrait of a young man who was caught up in a world he didn't fully understand and who paid a heavy price for his mistakes.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is the way it examines the relationship between Hayes and Turkey, both during his time in prison and in the years that followed. Despite the trauma he experienced, Hayes has remained deeply fascinated by Turkish culture, and he has spent much of his life since his release working to improve relations between Turkey and the United States. The film explores this relationship in depth, examining both the beauty and the darkness of the country that Hayes has come to love.

Another key theme of the film is the power of storytelling. Hayes' own story became the basis for the hit 1978 film Midnight Express, which won several Academy Awards and brought his story to a worldwide audience. The film examines the impact that this story had on public perceptions of Turkey, as well as on Hayes himself. It also looks at the controversies that surrounded the film, particularly in Turkey, where it was seen as an insult to the country and its people.

Throughout the film, we see interviews with a number of prominent figures, many of whom played a key role in the story of Billy Hayes and his imprisonment. Alan Parker, who directed Midnight Express, offers his perspective on the story and the film, while David Puttnam, who produced the film, discusses the controversies that surrounded it. Giorgio Moroder, who composed the film's iconic score, talks about the process of creating music that reflected the mood of the story.

Overall, Midnight Return: The Story Of Billy Hayes And Turkey is a fascinating and deeply informative film that sheds light on a remarkable true story. Through interviews with Hayes and other key figures, the film offers a wealth of insights into the complicated relationship between Turkey and the West, as well as the power of storytelling to shape our perceptions of the world. For anyone with an interest in true crime, politics, or the power of storytelling, this is a film that is not to be missed.

Midnight Return: The Story Of Billy Hayes And Turkey is a 2016 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 39 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.9 and a MetaScore of 68.