DVD Movie Guide @ dvdmg.com
.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main
UNIVERSAL

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Steven Spielberg
Cast:
Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, William Atherton
Writing Credits:
Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins

Synopsis:
A woman attempts to reunite her family by helping her husband escape prison and together kidnapping their son.

MPAA:
Rated PG

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA Monaural
Spanish DTS Monaural
French DTS Monaural
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 110 min.
Price: $19.98
Release Date: 5/5/2015

Bonus:
• Trailer


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


The Sugarland Express [Blu-Ray] (1974)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (February 7, 2018)

Arguably Steven Spielberg’s least-seen film, 1974’s The Sugarland Express merits memory mainly due to one distinction. After work on TV, it became his first big-screen affair.

Once we get past that concept, does Express offer much of note? Not tremendously, for while it provides a decent flick, it doesn’t match up with Spielberg’s subsequent successes.

Based on a true story, Sugarland comes set in Texas during 1969. We meet Lou Jean Poplin (Goldie Hawn) as she goes to visit her husband Clovis (William Atherton) at a Texas correctional facility.

Lou Jean tells Clovis she’s leaving him, as she just got out of a women’s facility and couldn’t retrieve two-year-old son Langston (Harrison Zanuck) from foster care. Clovis agrees to help get him back, and she wants the three of them to head to Los Angeles.

Lou Jean busts Clovis out of the minimum security facility and they hitch a ride with the elderly parents of another inmate, but they get pulled over when the man drives too slowly and creates a nuisance. As Officer Maxwell Slide (Michael Sacks) approaches, they panic and steal the car.

Eventually they crash on the side of the road, but they steal Slide’s gun when he tries to help. They take him prisoner and make him drive them toward Sugarland, where they plan to reacquire baby Langston – an endeavor that creates a long chase while law enforcement pursues the outlaws.

Given Spielberg’s reputation as a sentimental, heavy-handed filmmaker, Express maintains a surprisingly even-handed take on matters. By that I mean that he doesn’t go for easy emotion, because other elements go for specific concepts.

The flick clearly sympathizes with the Poplins, who become cultural icons. The massive manhunt earns them fans, and Spielberg often also depicts the police in a negative light.

Actually, the film treats all of the participants as fairly negative, for the Poplins don’t seem particularly competent either. Nonetheless, the cops get most of the heat.

Given the dim intellect of the Poplins, the police come across as especially dull since they constantly fall victim to the outlaws’ machinations. Express clearly adopts the anti-establishment tone of the era, as it sides with the rebels.

Some exceptions occur, particularly through the depiction of head cop Tanner (Ben Johnson), as he seems like the only rational and thoughtful person in the flick. Most of the police appear dopey, and the Poplins are impulsive and emotional as well.

Tanner demonstrates the most reasoned personality in the movie, as he shows the two sides of his dilemma. He needs to stop the Poplins but he dreads the extremes to which he must go.

Actually, I question some of those elements, as the cops go to tremendous extremes to stop two non-violent kidnappers. Sure, the fact they abducted a fellow officer exacerbates things, but it seems illogical that the authorities send so many cars after them and also attempt to use such lethal force. Given that the film comes based on a true story, I don’t know how much of this really happened, but it comes across as a stretch.

Much of Express offers a moderately comedic take on things, but Spielberg demonstrates a surprising level of darkness at times. We don’t expect that from the usually light-handed director, but the story’s harsher elements receive appropriate exploration.

In general, Spielberg lends the flick a subdued tone. He favors the comedy at times but doesn’t go for the broad emphasis that might make it a farce.

Does The Sugarland Express succeed wholly? No, for although it explores its topic more than competently, it never truly engages the viewer.

The movie presents few overt flaws but it lacks the spark or dynamic tone that made Spielberg’s better efforts so good. It fails to become as distinctive either and seems more like the work of a young director than a fully-formed auteur.

That’s appropriate given that it was the work of a young director, though he’d soon emerge as a massive talent with 1975’s Jaws. Express remains a historical curiosity, one that sporadically entertains.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B-/ Bonus D-

The Sugarland Express appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray disc. Despite the age and low budget of the production, the picture looked good,

Sharpness was solid, as I noticed only a smidgen of softness in a couple of wider shots. Otherwise, the movie remained largely crisp and well-defined.

No instances of moiré effects or jaggies materialized, and I also noticed no edge haloes. Print flaws failed to mar the proceedings.

Despite the movie’s arid setting, Express tended toward blue overtones. As depicted, these seemed fine, and the film exhibited a good array of other hues as well.

Black levels were similarly deep and concise, while the smattering of low-light shots came across as clean and appropriately distinctive. Overall, the image of Express satisfied.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack, it felt competent for its age/ambitions/era. Speech seemed fairly natural and firm, with no issues connected to intelligibility or edginess.

Effects lacked much range, but they lacked problems with distortion and seemed acceptably concise. Music was surprisingly dynamic, as the music was fairly rich and vibrant most of the time. Nothing about the audio excelled, but it worked more than adequately for a flick of this one’s age and budget.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the original 2004 DVD? Audio showed a little more oomph, though the lossless track couldn’t do much with the limitations of the source.

As for visuals, the Blu-ray came across as better defined and cleaner. It offered a clear upgrade over the earlier release.

As for extras, Express comes equipped with only one: its theatrical trailer. It’s a disappointment that the set fails to present more information about the film given its status as Spielberg’s first cinematic effort.

Steven Spielberg’s cinematic debut, The Sugarland Express merits a place in history. The movie works moderately well on its own but doesn’t match up with his better flicks. The Blu-ray offers very good picture along with acceptable audio but it lacks supplements. This is a decent film that looks good on Blu-ray.

To rate this film, visit the prior review of SUGARLAND EXPRESS

.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main