This is an early Steven Spielberg film, and it's pretty bad. It has a hard time deciding on a tone - social commentary? Chase film? Farce or tragedy? Also, you can see some early versions of Spielberg's contrived scenes and shots that seem to me like a slap in the head saying - hey! you're supposed to be sad now!
Goldie Hawn plays a petty criminal / shoplifter who gets out of jail (in Texas) to find her son (2 year-old Baby Langston) has been put in foster care and has found a permanent home. Determined to get him back, she breaks her husband Clovis out of jail (not a tough job), and they take off to get the baby. They are immediately stopped by a state trooper, so they take him hostage. Pretty soon they have a trail of 50 or so police cars. Clovis is not a total idiot, so he figures out how to take bathroom and food breaks, and even get to a gas station when the tank is empty, all while being tailed by massive police.
All is going pretty well until they are found in a used car lot by a couple of hunters who proceed to blow the place up in the name of civic duty. This scene is totally ridiculous, and the already stretched premise devolves into fantasy. And of course it cannot end well. And the ending is bad on many levels. The final scene manages to focus more on a lovely sunset than the characters. Spielberg really likes to cram stuff into a film, but most of it is a distraction.
Goldie Hawn makes a charming criminal. Clovis is played by William Atherton, and he's OK. I'm always distracted by Atherton, as his later career has been spent primarily playing villains with a strong weasel streak. I find him distasteful. But he's ok here. An odd choice, but OK.
I would pass on this and pick up Vanishing Point, Bonnie and Clyde, etc. This is very derivative of better films.
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