She Rides Shotgun

Ana Sophia Heger dazzles as Polly. While the script is certainly better than average, Ana is very believable in each situation thrown her way. The film is worth watching if for no other reason than her performance. Hopefully she gets some recognition in the way of award nominations based on this film and future scripts deserving of her talent.

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.'

A little girl's typical after-school day turns chaotic when her estranged father picks her up instead of her mother. On the run, the father-daughter duo must do whatever is necessary to stay alive.

This movie can go either way, depending on the viewer. The story is about the lengths a father will go to keep his child safe. The details and backstory are left extremely vague, leaving viewers wondering. There is some action and some thrills that make the two-hour runtime go by. With the lack of depth in the story and the sporadic action and thrills, this movie is worth a stream.

While the acting skills of the leads make this film, the other elements of the production are pretty solid, too. Taron Egerton's always believable performance is so strong that one can wonder why he has yet to have a bigger career. Child actor Ana Sophia Heger more than holds her own with an emotionally devastating portrayal. The action scenes work, the suspense is sustained, and the villain is seriously evil. A few lines of dialogue are clunky, but this is otherwise a first-rate thriller anchored by two astounding performances.

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.