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Movies / On DVD / The Sugarland Express
The Sugarland Express

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The Sugarland Express (1974)

92%
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85%
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N/A
92 %
Reviews Counted: 24 Fresh: 22  Rotten:2 Average Rating: 7.3/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Synopsis: Shot in 1974, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS was made by Steven Spielberg just one year before he rose to international fame with JAWS. Following in the footsteps of Terrence Malick's 1973 tale of lovers on the run, BADLANDS, Spielberg's film centers on the exploits of Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis... Shot in 1974, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS was made by Steven Spielberg just one year before he rose to international fame with JAWS. Following in the footsteps of Terrence Malick's 1973 tale of lovers on the run, BADLANDS, Spielberg's film centers on the exploits of Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis Poplin (William Atherton). After Clovis escapes from prison, the two head off in pursuit of their child, whom they have been forced to give up to an adoption agency. Mayhem breaks out at they take a state trooper hostage along the way, with Spielberg neatly guiding the movie to a turbulent, yet satisfying conclusion. Only 28 years old at the time of shooting, Spielberg had directed plenty of TV movies prior to THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS, but this was the feature film that kick-started his glittering career. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, William Atherton, Michael Sacks, Gregory Walcott

Director: Steven Spielberg
Composer: John Williams
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown
Story: Steven Spielberg

DVD Info

Release:

Aug 17, 2004

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 16.9

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 - English

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
03/08/08
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
01/19/07
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
Ratings Image
A-

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/01/06
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Ratings Image
4/5

One of the most purely fun and slyly political films Spielberg has ever made. One of Hawn's best performances.

comment Comment
12/22/05
Dan Fienberg
Zap2it.com
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3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
10/20/05
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily
Ratings Image
5/5

No review available.

comment Comment
06/17/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image
N/A

[W]ould be mostly forgotten melodrama if it hadn’t been directed by a kid named Steven Spielberg...

Full Review | comment Comment
10/29/04
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
Ratings Image
2.5/4

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3.5/4

There's no question that this is a director with a God-given talent.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/30/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image
3/4

Features real attention to the sort of character dynamics that would serve subsequent [Spielberg] titles.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/19/04
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
Ratings Image
4/5

a fine example of the fugitives-on-the-run genre, holding its own alongside Thelma and Louise, Bandits, The Defiant Ones, and to a lesser extent Badlands and Bonnie and Clyde

Full Review | comment Comment
08/18/04
David Thomas
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
04/09/04
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
12/29/03
Rebecca Murray
About.com
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3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
10/31/03
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image
4/5

Masterful command of atmosphere and tone, great, understated performances.

comment Comment
07/13/03
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3/5

The movie has a casual craziness that seems especially native.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/21/03
Nora Sayre
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

With this first theatrical feature, Steven Spielberg proved he had the right stuff to become America's purest and most accomplished film entertainer.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
01/22/03
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
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