She Rides Shotgun

I saw this movie last night. I had wanted to see it at the theaters, but it got such a limited release that my local theater didn't show it.

Anyways - I think this movie has a lot to offer. The story, visuals, and vibe are like a mixture of No Country for Old Men, The Road, and Paper Moon. The 2 leads are great, especially the little girl. There are some sweet father/daughter moments. At the start, they're estranged, and you can easily predict that they'll bond and begin to love one another. Yet that predictability doesn't make their relationship any less satisfying to watch. There is an original closing scene that hits the mark emotionally. The movie is gritty and hard-htiting

Some issues linger though -- The soundtrack is weird at times. The pacing drags a little; I honestly got bored or restless a few times. The movie does a poor job with the villain, the God of Slabtown. They try to set him up as this big, scary final boss, and this effort fails for several reasons, ranging from the casting to the writing. I also would've cast someone different for the police officer who helps the protagonists

7.0/10.

She Rides Shotgun surprised me in a good way. The story is intense but also emotional, and I felt connected to the characters throughout. It has a gritty style that works well, and the performances felt very believable. A few parts could have been tighter, but overall it kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Ana Sophia Heger is why this movie was great. A child actor hasn't impressed me this much since Tatum O'Neil in Paper Moon, and she won an Oscar. Ana deserves one too.

She spoke volumes without any dialogue. I a single facial expression I got trapped, hopeful, sad, and confused.

For those that see this movie just watch her at the end when the credits start rolling.

Taron also put in a stellar performance, far from the average acting as Eggsy in Kingsman. I'm glad to see he's grown.

The profound father-daughter relationship serves as the backbone of the narrative here, cultivated with genuine sincerity and competence. This is further enhanced by the performances of Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger, as the father-daughter duo both of whom have approached their roles with utmost honesty and dedication.

Especially, Ana, who at just 11 years of tender age, exhibited an impressive level of maturity and understanding in her performance, making it one of the standout child actor portrayals in recent memory.

However, when I shift my focus to the rest of the storytelling, certain cracks become apparent. The subplot involving the local sheriff's drug dealings, the whole operation of 'localised' Meth labs, and the issuance of 'hit marks' feels somewhat contrived and this perception primarily stem from the limited development and materials provided regarding his self-proclaimed 'empire.'

Nick Rowland's "She Rides Shotgun" transforms a familiar father-daughter-on-the-run premise into something surprisingly raw and authentic.

Taron Egerton delivers career-best work as Nathan, an ex-con whose volatile desperation feels genuinely lived-in, not movie-manufactured. But the film's secret weapon is Ana Sophia Heger as 11-year-old Polly... she's fearless without being precocious, heartbreaking without milking tears.

Adapting Jordan Harper's acclaimed novel, the screenplay wisely sidesteps sentimental traps that doom similar stories. Instead of sugar-coating trauma, it explores how love can bloom in violence's aftermath. The Aryan Steel gang threat feels menacingly real, grounding the action in consequences that matter.

Rowland's direction maintains brutal honesty about what survival costs, both physically and emotionally. While some action sequences feel uneven, the central relationship never wavers. Egerton and Heger's chemistry sells every moment of their unlikely education - he teaches her to fight, she teaches him to feel.

The film succeeds because it respects both its characters and audience intelligence. This isn't just another crime thriller with a kid sidekick; it's a meditation on how broken people can heal each other, even while running from the past's shadows.

7.5/10 - Gritty, genuine, and surprisingly moving.