Midnight Express

BILLY: Who?

BELL: Ziat!

BILLY: Anybody bitten?

BELL: Nah, just covered with batshit!

BILLY: They went out over there: must be some kind of exit.

BELL: What?

BILLY: How's your hernia?

BELL: Don't make me laugh.

BELL: Want me to take over?

BILLY: You want to split your hernia again?

BILLY: It's there!

BELL: What?

BILLY: Listen!

BELL: You got that, shit face? Asina...

BILLY: KNOCK IT OFF!

BELL: Hey! I'm getting this together man and I don't need no fucking Gastro-head along on this trip! We go through the wall.

BILLY: We go through the wall?

BILLY: Tunnel?

BELL: It's already built! There's a basement substructure where they used to keep weapons and stuff, but beneath that there's these old catacombs that the Christians built 'bout a thousand fucking years ago to bury their dead. We're sitting right on top of it -- here.

BILLY: Years?

BELL: Yeah, what do you think this is, the good USA? This is Turkey, man... ) It's a fucking accident here if you're innocent. And anyway... ...ain't nobody who's innocent.

BILLY: Yeah.

BELL: History, man, history. How much?

BILLY: Two kilos.

BELL: Where?

BILLY: The airport. Trying to get on the plane for the States.

BELL: Could be ten or fifteen. Maybe even twenty.

BILLY: Twenty months?

BELL: Twenty fucking YEARS, man - YEARS! I figger ten at the least.

BILLY: The kids? Why are they...

BELL: Little fuckers are thieves, rapists, pickpockets, murderers, you name it - they do it. Don't trust any of 'em...

BELL: 'Figgers.

BILLY: ...He had a bald skull and...

BELL: Hamidou. Chief of the Guards. Don't fuck with him. He almost killed an Italian dude couple months ago. Bad news. He try anything with you?

BILLY: Looks like a cheap hotel.

BELL: Yeah... Only the room service is lousy. Come on, let me show you the tennis courts.

BELL: Getchmis olsun

BILLY: Getchmis...?

BELL: Olsun - "May it pass quickly." I'm Bell, Jimmy Bell. This is Erich something Swedish.

BELL: Haps, railroad, bus timetables?

MAX: Everything.

BELL: Hey, you know what's gonna get us out of here? It's not a map, Max. It's our balls. You know what I mean... ...I gotta get laid man, I don't know 'bout you guys, but if I don't get it on soon, I'm... I'm not gonna make it.

MAX: Shit.

BELL: Billy?

BELL: --the water like "'weeps" through the cement, see. Twenty, thirty years, you can almost push it over. All we do is use Gastrohead's screwdriver here and scrape the mortar out. Pull out 2, 3 stones, squeeze through, put 'em back, and get our ass down the shaft, It's a two night operation, maybe three.

MAX: And what do you do when you in the catacombs?

BELL: The catacoombs? Whaddya want, a door? There's miles of em like a sewer system but they got to come up someplace in Istanbul.

MAX: Gotta be here someplace. Thought I heard a couple of dead Christians singing down there.

BELL: Stop shitting me, man!

MAX: Too bad you didn't have a machine.

BELL: There's two ways out I figger - over the roof, but that's only one person, maybe two. The other way is Under.

MAX: To what?

BELL: The prison, man. There was this German cat an architect in the hospital. He was helping the Turks build some shit round the place. I laid some bread on him and he let me copy them.

BILLY: DAD!

FATHER: Oh Jesus!

FATHER: Why'd you do it, Billy?

BILLY: For the money... )

FATHER: I know you kids smoke that stuff, and we drink booze, but taking it across a border - it was stupid, Billy. Stupid.

BILLY: I know.

BILLY: Where you staying, Dad?

FATHER: The Hilton.

BILLY: How do you like it? Istanbul?

FATHER: Well, it's an interesting place... Tell you the truth, I think the food is lousy. The crap they sell in these little restaurants. I went out to eat in one of them last night, and I had to run to the damn toilet... You shoulda' seen the toilet.

FATHER: Where'd you get that limp?

BILLY: Nothing. Just twisted my ankle.

FATHER: Right! That's what we're shooting for. Mister Davis and have been in contact with the State Department, but right now relations with the Turks aren't too good, Nixon's upset the hell out of them. Our best bet's... right here.

BILLY: Dad... I'll pay you back for all this, I Promise.

FATHER: Don't worry about it. Right now money doesn't count. Okay?

BILLY: Dad...I'm...

FATHER: ...Don't worry about it. I can punch you in the nose later. Right now we've got to get you out of here. You all right?

BILLY: Yeah. How's Mom?

FATHER: Bad. She couldn't make the trip. You know Her boy... Susan told us before we got your letter. She's fine; she's trying to get the money to come back and see you, but...

BILLY: No, don't let her! I'll... How about Peg? Robbie?

FATHER: Same. None of the neighbors know. We told them you were in a hospital in Europe. Oh... this is Stanley Davis. He's the American Consul here... And Necdit Yesil, the lawyer you wanted...

BILLY: Where are the minefields?

DRIVER: All over. Turkish Army up there. It's against the law. They shoot us. You sure you looking for your friends, man?

BILLY: Okay! Ley me out right here. I'm getting tired of all this bullshit from you. I'll walk it.

DRIVER: Ah, look! they probably know where the campers are

DRIVER: Two miles! Minefields over there. Do you know where this campground is or not?

BILLY: Not far. Just a little way.

DRIVER: No! I'm not going any further! It'll wreck my car.

BILLY: I'll pay extra

DRIVER: How much?

BILLY: Those mountains? are they?

DRIVER: Very bad now. Maybe war. Those Greek pigs try to steal Cyprus again ) How'd you lose your friends?

DRIVER: You know where they are?

BILLY: Sure.

DRIVER: How far?

BILLY: About ten kilometers.

DRIVER: Sixty Lira?

BILLY: Sixty?

BILLY: No, I'm not afraid.

DETECTIVE: Good. There's nothing to be afraid of. If you co-operate with us, you will be on the plane for New York tomorrow... yes?

BILLY: Yes...?

DETECTIVE: Good. Now, where did you get the hashish?

BILLY: A cabdriver. He picked me up in the Pudding Shoppe in the bazaar.

DETECTIVE: Would you recognize him again?

BILLY: Yes. I think so.

DETECTIVE: Good. Would you go back to the Pudding Shoppe now and point him out to my men if you see him?

BILLY: Jeez, she used to say I was the lucky one.

TEX: Let's hope so, Billy. Let's sure hope so.

BILLY: She didn't know anything about...I wouldn't have wanted her to.

TEX: Lucky girl.

TEX: Girlfriend?

BILLY: ...She was on the plane.

TEX: Got a family back there?

BILLY: Yeah. Parents, brother, sister. Babylon, Long Island.

TEX: What's your father do?

BILLY: He sells insurance for Metropolitan Life.

TEX: Be tough on 'em.

BILLY: Three, four thousand...I don't know. The guy offered me the hash-- ...it just seemed like easy money.

TEX: Beats working.

BILLY: I was just going to sell it to friends. I'm not a pusher, honest.

TEX: How much you pay this joker... this cab driver?

BILLY: Two hundred dollars. It was my last two hundred.

TEX: How much did you figure to make?

BILLY: ...are you with the Consulate?

TEX: Something like that. Cigarette?

TEX: Well, you see Billy, it don't really matter right now if it's 2 kilos or 200 kilos. The Turks love to catch any foreigner smuggling - it shows the world they're fighting the drug trade.

BILLY: But just...

TEX: Just what?

BILLY: I just needed some extra money. I was broke, the guy offered me the hash and...

TEX: You decided to fly at a bad time Billy Palestinian Guerrillas all over the place blowing up planes and all.

BILLY: Stupid.

TEX: Four planes in four days...but I guess you kids don't read the newspapers...and what with our people kicking up a shit storm 'bout the flow of heroin from Turkey you got...

BILLY: But didn't have heroin.

ERICH: You just got to get yourself a good lawyer. And some money... Talk to Max. He's been in the longest.

BILLY: How long?

ERICH: Seven years...

ERICH: There is no fair in Turkey, Billy. It's all "sula-bula" like this, like that. An Italian hippie had a car accident and a Turk was killed. SO, they threw him in here for six months...

BILLY: That doesn't seem so bad.

ERICH: But he was eating lunch a mile away when the Turk smashed into killed himself.

BILLY: He wasn't even in the car?

ERICH: Aslan, there...

BILLY: How much did you have?

ERICH: A hundred grams.

BILLY: It's not fair!

BILLY: What they give you?

ERICH: Twelve years.

BILLY: And you?

ERICH: Hashish. Ninety percent of the foreigners are in for hashish.

ERICH: New people sometimes get on his nerves.

BILLY: What did he do?

ERICH: Feeling all right?

BILLY: Yeah. That guy who beat me? I feel stoned.

ERICH: Just Erich.

BILLY: I'm Billy Hayes... At least I used to be.

ERICH: How's it feel?

BILLY: About as good as it looks.

BILLY: What do you mean LIFE FOR FOR WHAT! FOR WHAT!

DAVIS: Billy! Please!

DAVIS: No... It looks like your going to have a new court.

BILLY: What do you mean?

DAVIS: The Prosecutor objected to your sentence for possession; he wanted a smuggling conviction and the High Court in Ankara reviewed it.

BILLY: And?

DAVIS: We've been notified that they rejected the sentence...

BILLY: What's wrong?

DAVIS: Sit down a moment, Billy. I'm afraid I have some bad news for you.

DAVIS: I want you to know we're going to do everything, in our power to get you out as soon as possible. Believe me.

BILLY: Thank you.

DAVIS: Hello, Billy.

BILLY: Hello.

BILLY: Why the suit?

MAX: Maybe he's changing jobs.

BILLY: Just got some news on Bell.

MAX: What?

BILLY: Bad. Sent to the City Hospital. They ruptured his hernia again.

MAX: Oh shit.

MAX: Hishradyo.

BILLY: Max - where?

MAX: His radio Back of his open, radio...

MAX: 'Dem dat hides can finds says I'... I seen him, the clever tit, sneaking looks at it late at night, talking to it.

BILLY: Yeah? Where?

BILLY: ...His money - steal that, you steal his blood... Could you see his face when everything he worked so hard to get got snatched? If we knew where he hid it. Anyway, steal from him they'd pick up the whole prison and shake it sideways. We couldn't hide it anywhere.

MAX: You know where it is?

BILLY: What?

MAX: I know where it is.

BILLY: Max, sit down. You're in no shape to kill anybody.

MAX: I want to cut his throat.

BILLY: It's already been cut.

MAX: Then I'll cut his balls off.

BILLY: What?

MAX: Cut his fucking throat.

BILLY: Whose?

MAX: ZIAT... What do I got to lose huh! What do I got to lose. And I'd really enjoy it.

MAX: Yeah I got it all worked out. Billy, listen to me. That old guard likes you, You drop some acid on him. When he's Seeing rainbows yer know. walk out - tonight.

BILLY: Then we're outside the kogus. Then what?

MAX: What?

BILLY: After we're outside the kogus?

MAX: Oh we... we...

BILLY: Max... Your BILLY shirt's on fire...

MAX: Goddamn Gastro's killing me. Making me blind. Hey Billy!

BILLY: Yeah.

MAX: I got some acid man. Maybe we can drop some on the guards huh? In their tea or something.

BILLY: We go back.

MAX: What? You gotta be joking.

BILLY: We go back, seal it up again, and come in tomorrow night - every night 'till we get out of here. There's gotta be a way. Those bats got out someplace. Now let's go. Doubletime!

BILLY: Shit! Shit! Shit!

MAX: It's a dead end. The Turks musta' sealed it up.

BILLY: What time is it?

MAX: Two thirty.

BILLY: Okay?

MAX: Yeah!

BILLY: Jimmy?

BILLY: You got your stuff?

MAX: Yeah.

MAX: Yeah, for the criminally insane. I was there once for two weeks and it ain't an illusion. It's awful. Namidou runs it like a death camp, that's where he spends most of his time...

BILLY: Where is it?

MAX: I don' t know. It's someplace down in there.... ..deep.. A big door...a wheel....

MAX: You gotta be fucking crazy! You got stabbed in the ass once too much, sweetheart, cause you're gonna end up in Section 13, that's what - not the 'catacombs.

BILLY: Section 13?

BILLY: But how would you get into the shaft, Jimmy?

MAX: I suppose you knock three times and ask for St. Peter.

MAX: Best way is get your ass out... any... way... you can...

BILLY: What do you mean?

MAX: Get the... midnight... express.

BILLY: What's that?

SUSAN: Billy - you'll just make yourself crazy.

BILLY: Take it off! Take it off! ...S'il vous plait?...

BILLY: Susan - forget it. Go get us a seat on the plane. Now.

SUSAN: What is it? . . . Billy?

BILLY: For Christ's sake, just GET on the plane, okay!

SUSAN: Billy, what's the matter?

BILLY: My passport!

SUSAN: No!

BILLY: Never was anybody like you...

SUSAN: You can't take anything seriously.

BILLY: You're right.

BILLY: I think I've been poisoned.

SUSAN: And you ate two baclavas, right? I not to touch them, mine was awful.

BILLY: Look, I think I'm going to have to go to the john again. You go on through, I'll catch up.

BILLY: Hey, Ziat, hurry up with the tea will ay!

ZIAT: Work, work, work, that's all do

BILLY: I don't hear you bitch about the money.

ZIAT: Dog eat dog, Hi-yes. You fuck other man before he fuck you. And you must fuck last.

BILLY: That's a great philosophy.

ZIAT: You 'Merican. You don't know.

BILLY: Know what?

ZIAT: Was.. ...seven years old. I was on street in Suk. Buy. Sell. No family to take care. I learn.

BILLY: Learn what?

BILLY: What is it with you man, what the hell is it?

ZIAT: Cat, ah! Ayip!

BILLY: You're ayip!

ZIAT: Look, you don't fuck with me, I don't fuck with you, right?

BILLY: But you fuck with me. You fuck with me all the time. You make crummy tea. You rip us off on the hash.

ZIAT: I make special tea for you, Hiyes, okay? We've to live like brothers. We have to be in here together.

BILLY: Oh shove it, Ziat for all the money you have, you have nothing!

BILLY: What'd the Prosecutor say?

YESIL: It's not important, just technical things. We make our case. You were very good, you spoke well. The Judge like you. It look good. Don't worry.

BILLY: Did you ask for bail?

YESIL: You know I have lectured at the University of Maryland in your country? Also University Michigan Very nice country. We both go back.

BILLY: If I get bail, Mister Yesil, they say it's easy to cross the border into Greece?

YESIL: Vilyum, I am Necdit Yesil.

BILLY: Mr. Yesil.

YESIL: I know exactly what you feel but you must not worry, we are acting immediately, we get the right court, the right judge, I arrange everything - just right. And I think we get you bail. If very bad, maybe twenty month sentence... But I think we get you bail...

MAX: What lawyer?

ERICH: Who got the Frenchman out?

MAX: Oh Yesil... Yesil's his name but I...don't know anything... 'bout...Yesil...

ERICH: His name?

MAX: Who?

ERICH: The lawyer?

ERICH: Lawyers?

MAX: Yeah... there's no straight lawyers in Turkey... They're all bent bent as hairpins...