Does anyone feel sorry for Bill Hayes after seeing the movie?

Beyond cruel and unfair, I'll add this: a life sentence for smuggling is silly. It serves no purpose and makes a mockery of the entire concept of proportionality -- that the punishment should fit the crime.

A reasonable sentence for an economic crime like smuggling need only be long enough to deter those tempted to try it. Hence I disagree with the proposal to confiscate funds, deport, and threaten with life imprisonment upon return; that would invite freerollers to try smuggle-till-caught. No, four years in the craphole is about right, and enough to keep anyone missing a death wish from entering this brand of Turkish free enterprise.

Why a life sentence? What does it accomplish? Just this: it spurs other countriy's artists to make films that portray your country's people as uncivilized monsters, then distributes those films worldwide and collect Academy Awards for it. No more drug smuggling maybe -- but no tourism either. Just global ridicule and revulsion that persists to this day, 1/3 century later.

Maybe THAT is real justice.

Not sorry for him but inspired. A little more of that treatment in the prisons in the states would be a nice start.


"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein

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I can see a fair case for diplomatic efforts for reducing his sentence, but otherwise you represented my feelings quite accurately.

I don't know how faithful the movie is to the book (although what I have heard isn't at all flattering to the real Hayes), but the movie character strikes me as a self-righteous criminal, a whinny hypocrite that took a selfish gamble that he was not at all prepared to handle and attempted to take refuge in some particularly sick form of proud nationalism.

In a way it is fascinating, how the story sets up a fascinating premise and merrily runs away from it towards a far less interesting plot. Then again, this is based on a book, so I guess they can only stray so far. And unfortunately, from what I have read Oliver Stone's script seems to have strayed towards attempting to present the protagonist as some sort of implausible "macho" action hero, Rambo-style. That is not missing a plot opportunity, it is deliberately obfuscating it in order to avoid the thorny feelings and questions.

This movie is often accused of racism, but I think the racism is actually rather accidental (both in the book and the movie). It does exist, but it is needed only as a means for the (rather gross) attempt at nationalist, ufanist self-justification of the hypocratical protagonist, who needs a straw to grab in order to run away from the rather obvious fact that _he is a criminal that was caught red-handed and is now feeling sorry for himself_.

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I want to read the book and find out the "real" story. But, as far as the film's concerned, I think there is an element of: "I'm American, therefore I'm invulnerable..." Having said that and putting to one side the question of prison conditions, what's the point of keeping him locked up - at the expense of Turkish tax-payers - for an excessive amount of time... Make him serve a sensible sentence, deport him and ban him from coming back... So, while I certainly don't feel sorry for him - he brought the situation on himself - the punishment was excessive.

I have mixed feelings towards both the Billy the character and Billy the person.

From what people have been posting on these threads, the writer added a lot of things to the film. The only reason I can see why the writer would want to build up a disrespectful attitude of the character is to make the character less liked by the viewer.

The character seemed to have no respect for the law at all. He seems to be selfish. He would have let his father swap places with him.

Billy the person was lucky he wasn't caught in countries that hand down death penalties for such crimes.

I do feel that the character and person underwent a lot of suffering which is tragic I guess.

Nonetheless, he did seem to get the same treatment as others for similar crimes. Some might say he received a relatively light sentence initially but that was successfully appealed by the prosecution.

Good film. Good story. Acting good to average - John Hurt acted well. Good sets. Could have done with better production design. 7/10.

I agree with you. hes a drug smuggler. he was a professional drug smuggler.