The Sugarland Express

Fugitive couple (Hawn, Atherton) plus kidnapped cop (Sacks) and patrol car take on police chief Ben Johnson and an ever-growing caravan of assorted cars, newsmen, sightseers and wide-boys out for a shoot-up in an across-Texas chase caper that has its protagonists overtaken by events beyond their control and comprehension. Despite the obvious similarity to the Roadrunner cartoon that appears at one point - both as a comedy and in the casually destructive violence employed - Spielberg's first feature for the big screen also touches on many aspects of American life and cinema: the role of the media, the matriarchal society, consumer possession, the decline of the American hero, and the increasing depersonalisation of everything. A beautifully put together, assured film.