She Rides Shotgun review
By Joel Humphries · Watched 08.01.25
★★★½ 3.5 / 5
Spoiler-free review
She Rides Shotgun gives the fugitive thriller a strong father-daughter engine, with Taron Egerton’s newly released ex-con fleeing corrupt law enforcement and a criminal organization alongside the eleven-year-old child he barely knows. Their developing bond supplies emotional weight, while gritty cinematography and a tense setup keep the danger credible. At two hours, the pace drags, supporting characters remain thin and several turns arrive exactly where expected, keeping the film from landing with full force. This is a solid one-time action movie with a distinctive relationship at its center, not one I feel compelled to revisit.
Full review — contains spoilers
"She Rides Shotgun" is a gritty action-thriller that delivers a decent punch but doesn’t quite stick the landing for a rewatch. Taron Egerton impresses as Nate, a freshly released ex-con on the run with his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Ana Sophia Heger). The premise—a father-daughter duo dodging corrupt law enforcement and a ruthless gang leader—sets up an intense, Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque dynamic, except Bonnie’s a kid and Clyde’s her rough-around-the-edges dad.
The storyline is gripping, with a solid setup that keeps you hooked as Nate and Polly navigate their dangerous predicament. Their evolving bond carries the emotional weight of the film. However, the pacing drags at times, making the 120-minute runtime feel a bit overstretched. I wanted to care more about the characters, but they felt somewhat flat, and the performances, while convincing enough, didn’t leave a lasting impression. Supporting characters didn’t stand out, and the plot twists were predictable and lacked impact.
Visually, the movie is appealing, with solid cinematography that captures the tense, gritty vibe. The score complements the action decently, though it’s not particularly memorable. The themes—family, survival, redemption—are there but feel shallow, and while the movie stirred some emotions, it didn’t hit hard enough to be deeply moving.
Overall, I enjoyed it and it met my expectations based on the teaser, but it’s not something I’d revisit. It’s a solid one-and-done action flick with a unique father-daughter spin, but it could’ve been tighter and more impactful.