THE STORY – Marked for death by unrelenting enemies, a newly released ex-con must protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter at all costs. With little resources and no one to trust, they form a bond under fire as they evade a corrupt sheriff and a brutal gang leader who’ll stop at nothing to protect his criminal interests.
THE CAST – Taron Egerton, Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang, John Carroll Lynch, Odessa A’zion & David Lyons
THE TEAM – Nick Rowland (Director), Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 120 Minutes
From the moment “She Rides Shotgun” opens with wide shots of a western landscape, you feel the tension humming just beneath the surface; a hint of something darker beneath the beauty. Based on the novel of the same name by Jordan Harper, this is a road-trip thriller with a stolen car and bullet holes for paint. It’s not just a journey across the American badlands; it’s a desperate sprint through the wreckage of choices and the unshakable bond between a father and daughter. Starring a rugged, soul-bruised Taron Egerton and the extraordinary newcomer Ana Sophia Heger, “She Rides Shotgun” is both a high-stakes action film and an intimate emotional reckoning.
It begins quietly. A young girl, Polly (Heger), waits on a school bench for her mother, but she never comes. The score here is soft, deceptive in its tranquillity, but soon pierced by the arrival of a man. Her father, Nathan (Egerton), who was supposed to be in prison, appears out of nowhere. He rushes Polly into a car, and right from that moment, we’re gripping the edge of our seats. The tension speaks volumes. She knows something is wrong, but doesn’t know what. And neither do we. What we do know is that Polly, wide-eyed and trembling, is now riding shotgun unwillingly into whatever storm Nathan has dragged behind him. Director Nick Rowland doesn’t waste time with pleasantries.
The brilliance of Heger’s performance cannot be overstated in this moment. With a glance, she conveys both heartbreak and fear as she questions her dad about her mother’s whereabouts. As they hit the road, news of a homicide flickers on the television. We hear only the sound, but it’s enough. Nathan is hiding something, and it’s a guessing game of innocence or guilt. He dyes Polly’s hair and cuts it, disguising her in a motel bathroom. It’s a moment of connection between them, innocent and sweet, though we, unlike Polly, know the intention is escape. Soon, though, we learn the intention is really survival.
Nathan teaches her how to swing hard and fast. One to the knee, and one to the back of the head. It feels like preparation for war, and in many ways, it is. Nathan is being hunted by a man referred to as the “God of Slabtown,” the terrifying leader of a white supremacist gang that Nathan used to run with. Even the police are too afraid to chase this man, and worse, many of them are in his pocket. Rowland paints a bleak world of gang violence and institutional corruption, one in which there’s nowhere to hide, especially not for a man with a past like Nathan’s. And certainly not for a child.
As the story unfolds, Polly learns the truth about her mother’s murder and about the monstrous network Nathan once belonged to. The tragedy is suffocating, and their relationship is burdened with a lot of regret. Nathan never wrote to Polly while in prison. He doesn’t know her favourite colour or what she likes to do after school. Their scenes together are awkward, tender, and painful. Egerton brings a rawness to Nathan, a man who knows he doesn’t deserve love, but is desperate to give it. He’s trying to protect Polly, not just from the people chasing them, but from becoming like him. It’s a performance that walks a tightrope between menace and redemption.
The third act ramps up the pressure until it’s almost unbearable. Nathan is wounded, on the run from gang members, the police, and a man with a god complex who can unleash the devil. Polly is thrust into situations no child should ever face. And yet, she becomes the film’s true heroine.
“She Rides Shotgun” could have benefited from more backstory, particularly regarding Nathan’s prison time and his involvement in the gang alongside his brother. But what it lacks in exposition, it more than makes up for in emotional resonance and tension. The soundtrack hits hard in all the right moments, the cinematography is stunning, and the performances, especially from Heger, stand out.
As Nathan comes to terms with the fact that he can’t run forever, he has a choice to make in the end. This isn’t a story tied up in a neat bow. It’s a story that offers gut punches. And this isn’t just an action thriller. It’s a meditation on guilt and what a second chance really costs. And though it’s heartbreaking and stressful, it’s also unexpectedly beautiful. Because at its core, “She Rides Shotgun” is about unconditional love. And in that love, there is something like redemption.
