The Sugarland Express 1974
6.7 / 10
The Sugarland Express
Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean and Clovis Poplin lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.
Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean and Clovis Poplin lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 20 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Lou Jean Poplin
... Captain Harlin Tanner
... Patrolman Maxwell Slide
... Clovis Michael Poplin
... Patrolman Ernie Mashburn
... Patrolman Jessup
User reviews
See All 2 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by DanDare
Steven Spielberg's first proper cinema movie has some great photography from Vilmos Zsigmond. The tone is uncertain. A road movie, a tragic comedy with car pile ups that is based on true facts. Lou Jean Sparrow Poplin (Goldie Hawn) takes her husband Clovis (William Atherton) out of a minimum security prison just weeks before his eventual release. All to save their child who has been taken away and ready to put up for adoption. They kidnap a police officer which leads to them being pursued by the police and the media. Goldie Hawn is spiky as Lou Jean but she is also stupidly impulsive. A story that needed more work, Spielberg does make an accomplished film.
Release Date:
Mar 31, 1974 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 50`
MMPA Rating:
PG
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Sugarland Express
Steven Spielberg's first proper cinema movie has some great photography from Vilmos Zsigmond. The tone is uncertain. A road movie, a tragic comedy with car pile ups that is based on true facts. Lou Jean Sparrow Poplin (Goldie Hawn) takes her husband Clovis (William Atherton) out of a minimum security prison just weeks before his eventual release. All to save their child who has been taken away and ready to put up for adoption. They kidnap a police officer which leads to them being pursued by the police and the media. Goldie Hawn is spiky as Lou Jean but she is also stupidly impulsive. A story that needed more work, Spielberg does make an accomplished film.
When "Clovis" (William Atherton) is incarcerated, his wife "Lou Jean" (Goldie Hawn) is facing losing their son to adoption. She's having none of this so decides to spring her husband from jail so they can go collect their bairn and head for Mexico. Things do not go to plan, though, and pretty quickly they are in an hijacked police-car being driven by "Officer Slide" (Michael Sacks). Needless to say, the police - under the shrewd "Capt. Tanner" (Ben Johnson) now up the ante and we are now looking at a chase that involves just about every police vehicle in the country! They are gradually digging themselves deeper with each mile they drive, but equally they begin to befriend their hostage and elicit a degree of sympathy from their pursuer as their predicament starts to tug at heart strings. It's a bit preposterous at times, and is certainly too long - but it does illustrate that Goldie Hawn has a skill - as an actress with a strong narrative to deliver, and as a woman who has expert comedy timing. There is humour here. It doesn't always work and at times is maybe just a little slapstick. It also does introduce and develop some depth to the characters - including Sacks and Johnson - which I found engaging as it trundled along. It's all based on a true story so not too much Steven Spielberg could do with the ending but the journey he takes us along is entertaining enough.
Cast & Crew of
The Sugarland Express
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... Lou Jean Poplin
... Captain Harlin Tanner
... Patrolman Maxwell Slide
... Clovis Michael Poplin
... Patrolman Ernie Mashburn
... Patrolman Jessup
... Mrs. Looby
... Baby Langston Poplin
AC
A.L. Camp... Mr. Nocker
... Mrs. Nocker
... Russ Berry
... Dietz
... Hunter
... Buster Daniels
KH
Ken Hudgins... Standby #1
JNH
James N. Harrell... Mark Fenno
... Logan Waters
RE
Roger Ernest... Hot Jock #1
... Hot Jock #2
... Mr. Vern Looby
Produced By
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