A girl with a great following. Every cop in the state was after her. Everybody else was behind her.
Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean and Clovis Poplin lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.
The Sugarland Express (1974) is a crime and drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, released on March 31, 1974 with a runtime of 1h 50m. It stars Goldie Hawn, William Atherton, Ben Johnson and Michael Sacks. Viewers rate it 6.6 out of 10 across 486 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Sugarland Express before you stream it.
Goldie Hawn
as Lou Jean Poplin
William Atherton
as Clovis Poplin
Ben Johnson
as Captain Tanner
Michael Sacks
as Slide
Gregory Walcott
as Mashburn
Steve Kanaly
as Jessup
Louise Latham
as Mrs. Looby
Harrison Zanuck
as Baby Langston
A.L. Camp
as Mr. Nocker
Jessie Lee Fulton
as Mrs. Nocker
Dean Smith
as Russ Berry
Ted Grossman
as Dietz
Directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Steven Spielberg, Hal Barwood and Hal Barwood, produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown.
Average viewer score of 6.6/10 from 486 ratings.
Steven Spielberg's first proper cinema movie has some great photography from Vilmos Zsigmond. The tone is uncertain. A road movie, a tragic comedy with car pile ups that is based on true facts. Lou Jean Sparrow Poplin (Goldie Hawn) takes her husband Clovis (William Atherton) out of a minimum security prison just weeks before his eventual release. All to save their child who has been taken away and ready to put up…
Reviewed on June 1, 2020
When "Clovis" (William Atherton) is incarcerated, his wife "Lou Jean" (Goldie Hawn) is facing losing their son to adoption. She's having none of this so decides to spring her husband from jail so they can go collect their bairn and head for Mexico. Things do not go to plan, though, and pretty quickly they are in an hijacked police-car being driven by "Officer Slide" (Michael Sacks). Needless to say, the police -…
Reviewed on April 1, 2023
Quality! <em>'The Sugarland Express'</em> is Steven Spielberg's first theatrical release as director, which is quite something given the movie seems like it was made by a seasoned vet. On a similar note, the look and feel of the film is absolutely outstanding; it has aged remarkably well visually, almost hard to believe it came out in 1974! I also really enjoyed the score, particularly Toots Thielemans on the…
Reviewed on May 8, 2024
**_Inspired by the real-life incident from May 2, 1969, mixed with…_** …elements of the Bonnie & Clyde account from 35 years earlier, such as the way Americans were rooting for the couple. In truth, the chase only lasted 5-6 hours and not several days. So, there was no time for the press to get ahold of the story and spread it to the people. Neither did the kidnapped patrolman warm up to the couple. Furthermore, it…
Reviewed on May 14, 2026
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The Sugarland Express (1974) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of The Sugarland Express (1974) includes Goldie Hawn, William Atherton, Ben Johnson, Michael Sacks and Gregory Walcott. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Sugarland Express was released on March 31, 1974 and runs for 1h 50m.
The Sugarland Express (1974) holds an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 486 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy crime and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Sugarland Express trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
