In the interview, he talked about a new book with all of his letters he wrote from prison, which sounds interesting. He also explained how the actual escape in the film is different from the real escape. I couldn't remember how the film ended (I last saw it in 1999), so I decided to watch the 30th Anniversary DVD, a special edition which has some really good special features about the making of the film and interviews with screenwriter Oliver Stone and director Alan Parker. They talked at length about why they made the changes they did from the book.
In Express, Brad Davis plays Billy. Once he gets caught in the Turkish airport with marijuana taped to his stomach, and you start to hear "The Chase" by Georgio Moroder, everything goes downhill from there: chased, beaten, raped, tortured, and more for five years before finally escaping. It's interesting that the movie isn't all about the escape. It's really about survival in the prison when you don't deserve to be there, not unlike Shawshank Redemption. It also makes you think of how unjust legal systems are, another theme of the film.
John Hurt and Randy Quaid give exceptional performances as Billy's friends in prison. And Paul L Smith is a brutal guard; I can see why he was the perfect choice to play Bluto in Robert Altman's Popeye (1980). And you can't forget the other guard, Rifiki played by Paolo Bonacelli. These two should be the Top 100 of the meanest screen villains of all time.
There are so many great scenes in this film, especially when Billy's dad and girlfriend come to visit him and try to get him out.
I remember seeing Brokedown Palace back in 1999 and remember thinking how it had been influenced by Express. Today Brokedown is almost a forgotten film, but an interesting watch if you are a fan of Claire Danes or Kate Beckinsale.
