To all you travellers currently packing your suitcases in anticipation of a summer expedition: take heed of the Oliver Stone-scribed movie Midnight Express. Directed by Alan Parker and released in 1980, the prison thriller serves as a timely reminder that jetsetters should exert caution when choosing what souvenirs to bring home off holiday.

When American student Billy Hayes - played with perfect intensity and impressive perspiration by Brad Davis - tries to smuggle hashish out of Istanbul airport, the climax of his exotic holiday descends into what will be a living hell. Silly Billy…

It’s inevitable that Billy is going to get caught and end up confined in the cataclysmic culture shock of overseas incarceration, but the sequence leading up to his arrest remains unbearably tense for viewers. The anticipation is amped up by the thudding heartbeat, the communication barriers at every close-call with security and Billy’s sweat-drenched face - altogether making for a nail-biting cliffhanger at customs.

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