Midnight Express (1978)

Midnight Express poster

Columbia Pictures
Starring: Brad Davis, John Hurt
Directed by: Alan Parker

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: The somewhat controversial interpretation of Billy Hayes’ (Brad Davis) book about his experience as an American college student who was thrown into a Turkish prison for attempting to smuggle hashish out of Turkey.

Featured Feline: Billy meets an older drug-addicted prisoner named Max (John Hurt) whose companion is an orange and white tabby cat named Higbert.

Midnight Express - Max John Hurt sitting on bed with orange and white cat Higbert in lap

Midnight Express - orange and white cat Higbert in lap

Max has altercations with another prisoner named Rifki (Paolo Bonacelli) who strikes out at the cat in one scene.

Midnight Express - orange and white cat Higbert lying on bed

Midnight Express - orange and white cat Higbert lying on bed with ears back

Late one night Max is calling for Higbert, who is sitting in a small high window and won’t come down. Max gives up, muttering, “Sodding cat” before walking away.

Midnight Express - orange and white cat Higbert in high window

The next morning the prisoners are shocked to see Higbert hanging by his neck from a light bulb cord. Max hurries down to take down the cat and cradles him in his arms, crying. It’s not clear how this scene was achieved, since for all appearances a real cat was used. The cat may have been heavily drugged and hooked to the cord with a harness but we have no confirmation at this time of how the scene was filmed.

Midnight Express - Max John Hurt sitting and holding dead orange and white cat Higbert

Kitty Cameo: In another earlier scene Billy is walking around the prison at night alone. He picks up a calico cat and hugs her briefly before setting her down.

Midnight Express - Billy Brad Davis holding calico cat