SHE RIDES SHOTGUN (2025) review
written by: Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (screenplay) & Jordan Harper (novel)
produced by: Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Hiro Murai, and Nate Matteson
directed by: Nick Rowland
rated: R (for violence and language)
runtime: 120 min.
U.S. release date: August 1, 2025
The tale of an ex-con father on the run with his estranged daughter has been around for so long that it can almost be considered something of a fable. The challenge is figuring out how to tell it compellingly while meeting certain expectations. That’s accomplished by focusing on the two main characters, which can pull viewers along for the ride organically when they feel more like complicated human beings rather than cliches. That can be found in the best moments of “She Rides Shotgun”, a modern-day crime thriller that delivers tender and honest characterization set in unforgiving and hopeless environments.
When we first meet 10-year-old Polly Huff (Ana Sophia Heger), she is standing outside her school waiting for her mother to pick her up. On this particular afternoon, her wait is longer than usual. But then a car pulls up alongside the school to a halt, and the driver calls out to Polly, stating he’s there to pick her up. It’s her father, Nate McClusky (Taron Egerton), whom Polly hasn’t seen in a couple of years due to his maximum security incarceration. Surprised and confused, Polly cautiously gets into the stolen vehicle, and it speeds off as quickly as it arrived. Nathan doesn’t tell her that her mother and stepfather have been killed by the white supremacist gang Aryan Steel that he’s fallen out with. The brotherhood, led by Sheriff Houser (John Carroll Lynch), wants him and Polly dead, and the only thing on Nate’s mind is getting to Mexico with his daughter to find some safety. But the “greenlight” message they’ve put out about them makes it almost impossible for the father/daughter duo to evade their pursuers, no matter where they go in the American Southwest.
Polly may be naive, but she’s far from stupid. She’s outgrown the stuffed animal she carries around, but she’s also been exposed to things she shouldn’t have been at her age. She’s observant, noticing there’s blood on her father’s shirt when he picks her up and that his vehicle has been hot-wired. She also notices how Nate is trying to avoid the police wherever they go. You can tell she probably has the same questions viewers do: Did he escape jail, or was he released? Does that blood mean he had something to do with Polly’s mother not picking her up from school?
Both Nate and Polly get to know each other during their journey. He teaches her how to use a baseball bat for situations that don’t involve baseball, and she brings to him a purity and tenderness missing from his life. Trusting her father doesn’t come easy, considering what she knows of him is more like a looming shadow rather than an actual person. Along their journey, there’s a detour visit to Charlotte (Odessa A’Zion), a former girlfriend who reluctantly offers shelter to the pair for a night while news reports on their activity intensifies. One of the moments of realization for Polly occurs during this night as she realizes that her father loved someone other than her mother, and the two have a conversation about love. The two begin to bond and wind up looking out for each other, but both of them will have to make some decisions about their situation. Polly realizes all she has is her father, and Nate knows keeping her alive may be the only good thing he can do with his life.
Not only is the Aryan Steel gang searching for the pair, but so are the authorities, led by Detective John Park (Rob Yang), who is concerned about understanding the father-and-daughter, while also taking an interest in the meth business in the area. It could be that finding Nathan and Polly will provide an opportunity to take down The Lord of Slabtown, who oversees the drug flow in the Southwest.
Writing duo Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski have spent a considerable amount of time in the horror genre, with a lean towards the psychological and supernatural, with films like “Siren”, Hellraiser”, and “The Night House.” For “She Rides Shotgun,” they adapt Jordan Harper’s 2017 crime novel of the same name. Despite the story’s harsh and bleak tone throughout, there are lighter moments of discovery for the two main characters as their relationship develops over time. Director Nick Rowland (“Calm with Horses”) injects the right amount of uneasiness right from the start, which only increases as the story unfolds. While there are action sequences throughout, what becomes most memorable are the performances, especially young Anna Sophia Heger, who runs away with the movie.
Truly, the performances in “She Rides Shotgun” keep the audience invested, elevating the material from any genre trappings. Ederton has proven himself something of a chameleon over the years, showing his musical prowess in the “Sing” movies and “Rocketman”, and recently in last year’s airport thriller “Carry-On”. His work here recalls his role as a criminal a couple of years back in the mini-series “Black Burn” on Apple TV+ (highly recommended), in that he’s physically ripped for the part and range of emotion that’s unexpected for the part. While he’s excellent with Heger, she draws almost all of our attention in their scenes. She manages to convey multitudes in many scenes, portraying the emotionality of someone her age while also someone who is suddenly experiencing new people and situations. Heger’s Polly has a strong outer shell, yet we gradually see the character’s innocence, courage, and boldness, where the actress also communicates an understandable amount of fear. It’s a raw and honest performance that brings heart and soul to a violent and gritty tale.
On that note, it seems like whenever John Carroll Lynch shows up in anything, you can’t help remembering him either. I last saw him playing the nicest guy in “Sorry, Baby” a couple of months back, and now here he’s a despicable antagonist, a vicious butcher posing as a sheriff who has a loyal following of fellow racists. It’s a role that reiterates his impressive range.
As director, Rowland captures one too many monologue moments in “She Rides Shotgun”, which hiccups the pace at times, but that’s fine considering the actors he’s working with. There are also times when the score by Blanck Mass is a bit disruptive with electronic noise, but nothing can pull us away from the rapport that Egerton and Heger have, as well as the rapport between Heger and Rowland. The director knows what he has with the young talent and wisely stays with her during powerful and poignant moments.
RATING: ***
