The Sugarland Express

Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Sugarland Express follows Goldie Hawn’s Lou Jean as she and her husband (William Atherton’s Clovis) set out to retrieve their toddler from foster care – with the couple’s efforts subsequently taking a felonious turn with the kidnapping of a police officer (Michael Sacks’ Slide). It’s compelling subject matter that’s employed to deliberately-paced yet mostly engrossing effect by Spielberg, as the filmmaker, armed with a screenplay by Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins, does a terrific job of initially establishing the picture’s specific time and place as well as its appealing, sympathetic central characters – with, in terms of the latter, Hawn’s often spellbinding performance going a long way towards compensating for an episodic, hit-and-miss midsection. And while it ultimately seems clear that the picture could’ve benefited from some streamlining, The Sugarland Express builds towards a third act that’s both electrifying and unexpectedly heartbreaking – which finally does confirm the movie’s place as a top-notch endeavor that holds up exceptionally well all these years later.

***1/2 out of ****