It is a movie that embodies the story of a strong woman who does her best to save her family before it is too late. In those moments, this woman accepts all the serious challenges to help her husband escape from prison and return the course of things, where she kidnapped a member of the government forces terrifyingly.
The set pieces are beautifully handled, grizzled veteran Ben Johnson is watchable as the head cop on their tail, and, looking back, it's clear that Spielberg already held all the aces and knew how to deal them.
The Sugarland Express is not terribly original - Bonnie and Clyde, Badlands and The Getaway are indelibly marked in its DNA - but shows an already dazzling young filmmaker honing his skills and vision.
If the movie finally doesn't succeed, that's because Spielberg has paid too much attention to all those police cars (and all the crashes they get into), and not enough to the personalities of his characters.
The movie has a casual craziness that seems especially native.
EmanuelLevy.Com
December 01, 2006
Reflecting the zeitgeist of mid-1970s America, this early Spieleberg picture is still one of his strongest, dealing with alienation, anarchy, and lack of control; Goldie Hawn gives an uncharacteristicaly forceful dramatic performance.