The Sugarland Express

The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American neonoir drama film cowritten and directed by Steven Spielberg in his theatrical feature film directorial debut. It stars Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, William Atherton, and Michael Sacks.

In May 1969, Lou Jean Poplin Goldie Hawn visits her husband Clovis Michael Poplin William Atherton to tell him that their son will soon be placed in the care of foster parents. Even though he is four months away from release from the Beauford H. Jester Prison Farm in Texas, she forces him to escape to assist her in retrieving her child. They hitch a ride from the prison with an elderly couple, but when Texas Department of Public Safety Patrolman Maxwell Slide Michael Sacks stops the car, they take the car and run.When the car crashes, the two felons overpower and kidnap Slide, holding him hostage in a slowmoving caravan, eventually including reporters in news vans and helicopters. The Poplins and their captive travel through Beaumont, Dayton, Houston, Cleveland, Conroe and finally Wheelock, Texas. By holding Slide hostage, the pair are able to continually gas up their car, as well as get food via the drivethrough. Eventually, Slide and the pair bond and have mutual respect for one another. ........

Source: Wikipedia