Director: Nick Rowland
Writers: Ben Collins, Jordan Harper, Luke Piotrowski
Stars: Ana Sophia Hager, Taron Egerton, Jamie Bernadette
Synopsis: A girl marked for death, must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows-her father. An adaptation of Jordan Harper’s award winning novel.
Equal parts gritty and touching is She Rides Shotgun, directed by Nick Rowland, based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Jordan Harper. A tense action thriller that, at its core, is a compelling story about a father doing whatever he can to protect his daughter. Centered around the life of an ex-con as he finds there is a hit out on his estranged daughter, this high-stakes crime drama takes audiences on a wild ride. Exploring the impact of having a father that has a violent past on their children, a rather simple story packs a big emotional punch from start to finish. She Rides Shotgun is packed with powerful performances that elevate it beyond any ordinary crime chase film with its tenderness and determination.
Rowland establishes a sense of unease immediately in She Rides Shotgun by opening the film with Polly (Sophia Ana Heger) awaiting her mother to arrive at school to pick her up. Long after the bell has rung, Polly is surrounded by a crowd of children that dwindles as more and more cars of parents show up. As minutes tick away, Polly tries to pass the time by climbing trees, hoping the next car is her mother’s. When asked where her mother is by a teacher, Polly admits that her mother sometimes shows up late, but soon she’d realize that it wasn’t her mother picking her up; instead, it’s her estranged father, Nate (Taron Egerton). There’s an awkwardness to their interactions, looking at one another as if they were acquaintances rather than father and daughter. After some convincing, Polly jumps into the passenger seat, a decision that will change her life in drastic ways.
The relationship between Polly and Nate is basically non-existent, and as their car ride goes on Polly starts noticing that something isn’t right. Wires exposed near the car’s steering wheel, paired with broken glass that falls out of the window frame while she attempts to roll her window up. Without knowing where they are going or why her father was the one to pick her up, she soon realizes that her father is hiding something. His past isn’t a complete secret, but once they are safely settled in at a hotel for the night, Nate reveals that he is on the run from police for his connection with the drug ring in their town in New Mexico. And while he carries that information with him, someone puts a hit out on someone close to him, his daughter. Desperate to get away from both the lawmen, and the law breakers, Nate gives his daughter a haircut and dye job. As they make their plans to get out, Polly learns of her mother’s fate, forcing her to make a difficult decision for her own safety.
She Rides Shotgun is Rowland’s second feature as a director, with the first being 2019’s rural crime thriller Calm with Horses. He has no issues serving up a gripping film with killer performances. Where he works best in this film is the father-daughter moments, even if this pair has a troubled past. He balances the high-stakes shootouts with the tear-jerking proclamations with ease, which helps elevate where the film falters in its main conflict. While the focus is so heavily on Polly and Nate, Rowland struggles to make the bad guys compelling, which is a shame because there’s an important message about corruption that is too quickly passed over. The looming threat of those after Polly is felt throughout the film, but is left too ambiguous for too long in the film.
There’s a dangerous drug world hidden within the film’s story that is not explored enough to feel important. While it’s the main point of each of the film’s action pieces, it takes a backseat even when it should be front and center. Nate has quite the criminal past and is no stranger to dealing with the police. And where the film could be telling an interesting story about small town corruption, it chooses to barely dig below the surface. It makes the stakes of the film feel uneven; on one hand, we see the father-daughter duo going to great lengths to protect each other, but even they are too in the dark on the reason why until it’s too late to really care. It plants some great seeds that don’t get to fully bloom, but it sure does make for some gnarly fight sequences.
Thankfully for Rowland, Egerton and Heger make each moment of their screen time charged with emotion that pulls you into their rocky relationship instantly. Egerton is no stranger to transforming for roles, but he’s nearly unrecognizable in She Rides Shotgun; with a shaved head, sunken eyes, and skin riddled with random tattoos, he’s unlike any of his prior roles. His character carries a lot of guilt around with him that Egerton captures through his facial expressions, especially when witnessing his daughter fall into dangerous situations he placed her in. Heger is captivating to watch as Polly; she is not only playing her as an intelligent child, but her ability to adapt to each increasingly scary situation she is faced with is impressive. Formidable and observant, Heger’s performance is one of the strongest of the year. Her final scene is haunting and showcases the enormous talent she possesses.
Centering the story around this frayed relationship is a smart choice; even through the chaos of gas station robberies gone wrong and high-speed car chases, there’s a beautiful exploration of both Polly and Nate and their complicated relationship. Writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski tap into all the complex feelings the duo faces and make sure each moment lingers with emotional weight. Nate wants to know everything about his daughter, from her favorite show to her favorite color. There’s a genuine admiration felt between them and a desperation to keep one another safe. Even during large action sequences, their fight for survival only brings them closer, both saving one another in more ways than one. Nate sees his daughter as his redemption for all the wrongs that he has committed, and Polly sees her father as her source of courage. They have a relationship that grows stronger in the face of relentless and increasingly ruthless violence.
The stark wonder that is New Mexico is on full display here, and cinematographer Wyatt Garfield shows the silent beauty of the landscape. Wide shots of cars along a highway showcase the endlessness of the desert where mountains blend with horizons, creating a stunning golden hour glow. During the night, lights from buildings create an endless sky; the stillness in the air, seen through Garfield’s lens, adds to the unease while Nate and Polly are on the run. As the film comes to its final moments, Garfield utilizes framing that locks us in on Polly’s face, letting her performance linger with the audience and making us think about how far her character had come from her schoolyard introduction.
She Rides Shotgun is a brutal crime drama that proves its power through the moving performances from Egerton and Heger. There’s plenty of thrilling moments as this duo pushes through obstacle after obstacle, but where it shines is its touching examination of how crime impacts our loved ones. Although there’s quite a bit to be desired from the film’s main conflict, its haunting visuals and performances make this worth a watch.
