The Sugarland Express (1974)

The Sugarland Express (1974)

Starring: Goldie Hawn, William Antherton, Michael Sacks, and Ben Johnson.

Plot: Based on real events, Lou Jean Poplin breaks her husband Clovis out of a correctional facility and they decide to go to Sugar Land, Texas, and find their son in order to keep him out of foster care.  Along the way, they run into a cop, who they kidnap and take him as  leverage on their trip to keep the other police officers from arresting them.

Good:  This film was not what I expected from Spielberg.  It feels more like a Coen Brothers movie than one done by Spielberg.  However, while it starts out slowly and somewhat awkwardly, the tone began to grow on me as the plot moved forward.  The dry and somewhat empty feel to it makes it a unique and interesting start to the future film legend’s career in theatrical film making.  Another positive is Goldie Hawn’s performance as Lou Jean Poplin, which is an excellent blend of innocence, maturity, and desperateness that you begin to grow attached to and feel sympathy towards.  The other actors do a good job as well, including Michael Sacks as officer Slide.  The music, by John Williams (who else would it be?) is also very good, with a unique blend of the harmonica and the regular orchestra that’s very enjoyable to listen to.  It also has a surprisingly good sense of humor, which is not something I expected from a movie like this.  The build up to the climax is quite good, if a bit rushed near the end.

Bad: The worst part about this film would have to be the pacing.  When it first started, I was not all that interested, and it wasn't until 20 minutes into the movie when I finally began to gain interest.  The editing also has some poor qualities, with some cuts not feeling all that smooth, and some ADR not completely matching with the lip syncing.  There are also some scenes that feel pointless, like when they bring in Lou’s father for only a couple of seconds, which starts as an interesting plot point, but ends up not going anywhere.  The only other thing that I can think of that’s negative about it is that the ending felt weak after all that build up toward them being ambushed in the house where their son was, it ends up only wounding one of the characters and leading to an underwhelming car chase.

Trivia:  

• This was Steven Spielberg’s first theatrical release, after directing some TV episodes and movies.
• The Sugarland Express was based on true events in 1969, though the names were changed and some of the events were changed for dramatic effect.
• The child who played Baby Langston is the real life son of co-producer Richard D. Zanuck and Linda Harrison of Planet of the Apes fame.

Final Verdict: I found this film to be an enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, experience.  It was fascinating to see one of the earliest Spielberg productions, and see some of his trademarks come into being.  I would recommend it to fans of his work and/or if you like the look and feel of the Coen Brothers, but can’t stand the darker moments in them.  If not, this probably isn’t for you.

Next time, we’ll take a look at the first blockbuster, and the film that made Spielberg a legend for years to come: Jaws.

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