She Rides Shotgun

Nathan (Taron Egerton) tries to keep Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) safe in She Rides Shotgun (Distributed by Lionsgate)

She Rides Shotgun is a fairly familiar genre story. It is about an ex-con who goes on the run with his nine-year-old daughter. There is action, drama, revelations and bonding. What sets it apart a bit from its peers is the gritty direction and an incredible performance from its young star. The story does not use the character as a prop, giving eleven-year-old Ana Sophia Heger the opportunity to carry the emotions of the story. She absolutely nails it in every way, bringing a stronger sense of importance to what could have otherwise been routine scenes of these two getting to know each other in motels or the front seat of a car.

This isn’t really anything most viewers haven’t seen before; I’m sure several other movies will come to mind while watching it. However, the performances, and a committed screenplay that never feels like it is exploiting its child star to manipulate its audience, are enough to make for a solid viewing experience.

Nathan, fresh out of jail, picks up Polly, the daughter who barely remembers him, from school. Soon, she learns that her mother has been killed and they are on the run from a dangerous gang of white supremacists, as well as the police, who think Nathan is the killer.

She Rides Shotgun (113 minutes, minus the end credits) is based on the 2017 novel by Jordan Harper (who is listed as a cowriter here). It actually plays more like a thoughtful book than the violent action movie the premise seems like it would lend itself to. There is violence, but those scenes are more focused on what Polly understands and feels about what she is experiencing. There isn’t a lot of thrill in what Nathan has to do. Director/cowriter Nick Rowland doesn’t linger on it. The bloodier moments mostly occur off-camera. His redemption would come from making Polly feel safe and loved, not from shooting people, even if they are bad guys. He is not a hero. He is a guy who got himself into a very bad spot he has no idea how to get out of.

Nathan is played by Taron Egerton almost as if he is ashamed of his anger, yet doesn’t know who he is without it. Though he definitely loves Polly and wants to protect her, he is reckless, behaving impulsively with no plan for where to go next. He grabs his daughter because he is afraid for her life and thinks she’s safer with him than on her own. While he is probably right, he doesn’t seem to know how to live straight and narrow. There is no future for them together. Egerton’s performance is a sad one because he seems to be aware of this. Every second is about survival for Polly. It is pretty good work from him and unselfish considering how much he gives to his co-star.

Ana Sophia Heger is so good as Polly, in part due to everything she does coming off as so authentic. Her fear, love, laughter and sadness are all so natural. She bounces between them exactly like a child would. She is not “cute” in the movie sense. She is just a kid in an awful situation. Despite the ending being sort of an anti-climax, the final shot, a prolonged closeup of Heger, is heartbreaking because of how she displays Polly’s emotions. She says nothing, subtly showing Polly’s state using her eyes. It is impressive when a performer with several decades-worth of roles can do that, let alone an eleven-year-old.

Heger is great all throughout She Rides Shotgun, bringing it to another level. It is relatively formulaic, yet Rowland does his actors justice by generally getting out of the way and letting them do their thing. It doesn’t break the mold, but it is memorable. I don’t know if this is going to turn out to be a “star is born” moment for Ana Sophie Heger, though it should be. She is that remarkable.

3½ out of 5

Cast:

Ana Sophia Heger as Polly Huff

Taron Egerton as Nathan Mcclusky

Rob Yang as John Park

John Carroll Lynch as Houser

Directed by Nick Rowland

Written by Ben Collins, Jordan Harper, Luke Piotrowski and Nick Rowland