Review of Sugarland Express, The

Introduction

Steven Spielberg made his theatrical feature film debut with this ultimately depressing fugitive movie starring Goldie Hawn and William Atherton (Ghostbusters, Die Hard 1&2). Based on a true story, it`s the tale of a desperate prisoner who takes a cop hostage so he can see his kids one last time when they are taken into care. Goldie Hawn turns in a grand, straight performance as his wife, who persuades him to take this wreckless and tragic course of action.

Typical of the early 1970s era, the film keeps the audience off-balance with massive mood shifts. Ultimately it leads to a totally un-Spielbergian denouement which should have you weeping in frustration. Also typical of the time is the portrayal of US law enforcement as a bunch of trigger-happy morons out to shoot themselves a perp as if he were a raccoon. Overkill runs into hundreds of police cars, helicopters and the expending of sufficient firepower to overthrow a medium-sized terrorist stronghold.

Video

The movie is presented in its original 2.35:1 Panavision, reproduced as anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality is excellent, a clean sharp image with fine colour and contrast. The movie utilises the hot, dusty landscape of Texas to excellent advantage and much kudos should be given to Spielberg`s frequent cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond.

Audio

The soundtrack is a plain Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono mix.

Features

The film comes with HOH subtitles and a trailer, but that`s your lot.

Conclusion

There was a period in the early 1970s when it was trendy to wrong-foot the audience. Movies like MASH and Catch-22 could throw you from a joke to balls-out horror in the space of a splice. Sugarland Express is that kind of movie. It sets you up with a couple of people you want to see have a happy ending, but then takes you on a journey that`ll end in tears. As a Steven Spielberg movie, this is quite unlike anything else he has ever done, and that`s counting his forays into high drama like The Color Purple, Empire Of The Sun, or Schindler`s List. Not my cup of tea by a long chalk, but an eyeopener for anyone who`s only familiar with his lighter output.