SHE RIDES SHOTGUN -- A Heartfelt Getaway With a Young Co-Pilot

Review by Jonathan Berk

An emotional story about an estranged father and his daughter is always an easy sell. Toss in a crime drama and a dash of a revenge story, and that's a far richer sauce. Director Nick Rowland’s new film She Rides Shotgun takes a significant risk by placing the emotional weight of the story on the shoulders of its young protagonist, Polly, played by the remarkable Ana Sophia Heger (Life in Pieces, Things Heard & Seen). It is a challenge that Heger is not only up for but one that she absolutely excels in.

​The film opens with Polly waiting for her mother to pick her up from school, but her father, Nate, played by Taron Egerton (Carry-On, Rocketman, Tetris), shows up instead. Recently released from prison, he's a figure of both apprehension and longing for her. While Polly is rightfully cautious about the circumstances of this reunion, she eventually gets in the car as a result of his persistent urging. As they drive, she slowly takes stock of the situation, her initial wariness transforming into a quiet realization of what is really going on. Much of the film is from her perspective, and Heger’s performance is nothing short of captivating.

Egerton has been taking on relatively smaller projects since his breakout roles in Rocketman and Kingsman: The Secret Service. While his last two films, Tetris and Carry-On, went straight to streaming services, his performances in both were excellent. His role here as Nate, however, allows him to flex different acting muscles, taking on a darker, more desperate edge than we've seen from him before. He excels at portraying the various emotions of his and Polly's desperate journey, shifting from tender father to hardened fugitive with convincing ease.

For a movie like this to work, the chemistry between the fictional father and his daughter has to click, and Egerton and Heger are excellent together. Their relationship has a rough start, by design, as Polly's distrust is earned, but a pivotal scene on their first night together changes everything. As Nate carefully helps change Polly’s hairstyle, a subtle bond begins to form. It’s in these quiet moments that the film truly shines, making the experience of the two bonding throughout their harrowing road trip all the more affecting as the story takes its twists and turns.
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But make no mistake, this is Heger’s film. Her expressive eyes play a huge part in selling her performance. While she gets plenty to do and say throughout the film, it’s the inner struggle she’s able to deliver through looks and silence that is truly impressive. She carries the film with a maturity beyond her years, grounding the high-stakes narrative in a genuine emotional core. One can only hope that if Heger chooses to stay an actor, she has the right people around her to guide her career. It seems very likely that if she wants to act, there is a great future in the industry for her talent.
While the film is largely a two-hander, the rest of the cast is also solid. John Carroll Lynch plays the ruthless heavy with his usual quiet menace, and he always delivers. Odessa A'zion gets a few memorable minutes and uses them well. Rob Yang plays a detective looking to bring down the same gang that is chasing Nate and Polly, and their characters’ intersection plays an important role in the film's second half, making it a compelling section.

Overall, I found She Rides Shotgun to be an engaging, entertaining, and emotional experience. I had high hopes for Egerton, but I was blown away by Heger. The film opens and closes with her, and for such a young presence to be able to carry this story so effectively is deeply impressive. It’s a road trip with a lot of heart, and a movie that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

She Rides Shotgun is in theaters on August 1.

Rating: 4/5