She Rides Shotgun Movie Review

“She Rides Shotgun” is an intense ride on the run with a newly-released con and his daughter. The girl is picked up by her dad, but in a way which is just short of a kidnapping. But there are evil forces out to get the innocent girl, based on the actions of the father. His idea of saving her is really putting her deeper into harm’s way.

Polly (played by Ana Sophia Heger) ends her school day and waits for Mom to come and pick her up. But instead of Mom, there is a loud engine of hot rod – and the driver stops and calls out for Polly. She is confused, because it is not her Mom, or her step-dad. No, this is her real father.

Nate (played by Taron Egerton) waits for Polly to get into the car. It is not his car. Polly wants to know about Mom, but her dad tells her that she would not be coming. Polly gets into the car. But she is uneasy about what she sees. The side window is busted in. There are wires strung together under the dash.

Nate is just out of prison for numerous crimes, including Grand Theft Auto. Nate has been released, but there is now a bigger issue. He was under the protection of a powerful gang in jail house. The ‘Steele’ gang has deep roots in the New Mexico state, even outside of the prison.

His brother stood up to the gang, and now his brother is dead. Nate turned on the gang in prison. The authorities released him quickly. But even quicker was the ‘Green Light’ sent out from the Steele organization. This means that anyone related to Nate is marked for death.

The Steele boss is known as the ‘God of Slabtown’. Nate does not know who this is. He just knows that his wife is dead, along with her new husband. They are victims to the ‘Green Light’. His daughter Polly is also marked for a ‘Green Light’. Nate knows that she needs to get out of this place.

A State Police agent named Detective Park (played by Rob Yang) wants to break the case of the ‘God of Slabtown’. The Steele gang traffics in a lot of drugs and prison gangs, and murder. He sees the report of the murder of Nate’s wife and her husband. Park knows that Nate had just been released. Nate might help lead Park to the secret ‘Slabtown’.

Detective Park has a partner named Detective Callan (played by David Lyons). Callan plays it cool when Park says he wants to investigate into Nate. Nate and his missing daughter Polly might lead him to the ‘God of Slabtown’. Callan thinks that Park might want to slow down a bit. Park doesn’t know how far and wide the Steele organization might go.

Nate first takes Polly over to the house of a girlfriend of his now dead brother. Charlotte (played by Odessa A’zion) wants nothing to do with Nate. But she feels sorry for Polly. Polly is the niece of her dead ex-boyfriend. She cannot kick out the both of them.

But she doesn’t let Nate know that new guy pal that she has might also be a member of the Steele organization. This other guy comes around and there is a confrontation. But in the end, Nate and Polly take this guy’s car. The Steele goon lays broken and bleeding in front of Charlotte’s house

Nate does his best to explain to Polly that she will need to defend herself. She must change her appearance. He gets her hair dyed from brunette to a reddish blond. He cuts her longer hair to a much shorter, and very uneven, length. He shows her how to use a baseball bat to stop an attacker.

Polly calls into a special contact number to talk with Detective Park. He tells Polly that the police will be there and help her. But Nate gets her out of there too quickly. They lay low in a different stolen car, until he needs some money. Nate says all he wants to do is protect Polly from the danger out there.

But all Nate knows how to do is put himself, and Polly, into more harrowing situations. He decides it is time for “Take Your Daughter to Work” day. But in Nate’s case — that means taking Polly to small convenience store. He plans on robbing the store while Polly keeps a watch out for the police.

This heist goes well, until it doesn’t. Nate gets a bullet in the leg, and there is a high-speed chase eluding the police. After a wild and chaotic scene — they wind up in an empty ‘trucker chapel’ alongside the highway. Polly tends to Nate’s wounded leg.

There is a confrontation with a local deputy, who almost kills Polly. It turns out that he is also a part of the ‘Steele organization’. Even some corrupt cops are in on the crime and mayhem of the Steele group. But even worse is this guy’s boss. He reported to Sheriff Hauser (played by John Carroll Lynch). Hauser is also known as the ‘God of Slabtown’.

‘Slabtown’ turns out to be an image of the “Breaking Bad” meth lab in the desert — but on steroids. There are ten or more RVs and a large group of armed men in a remote area, cooking meth and doing deals. But it is all controlled by the sadistic Sheriff. He rules like a ‘God’ and even Mexican cartel drug runners are not off-limits to his cruel hand.

Detective Park finds a way to locate Nate and Polly. He convinces Nate that the only way to end the ‘Green Light’ on Polly is to end the reign of the God of Slabtown’. Park promises to keep Polly safe. Nate goes into the ‘Slabtown’ to confront the devil in the desert. But Park finds out that he has a traitor in is own ranks, and now keeping Polly safe is in question.

In the end, Nate winds up at ‘Slabtown’ to face off against Sheriff Hauser. Detective Park, with Polly alongside him, also get there. Park has a huge massive squad of State Police ready to take down the corrupt Sheriff.  But will anyone survive when the guns are drawn and the shootout begins?

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“She Rides Shotgun” is about a man who wants to be a father in the worst way. And in that aspect, he succeeds. Taron Egerton, in the role of Nate, really gets into the gritty character. All of his actions make things more tenuous for his daughter. He plays the role with a deeply caring nature, but also with a violent streak

But right there on the same level is Ana Sophia Heger, playing daughter Polly. Being a young actor in her first role does not mean she is not up to the task. Her performance is just as bold and as nuanced as Egerton is in his role.

Also giving a truly scary performance is John Carroll Lynch. His role as Sheriff Hauser is surprising for this actor. He mostly has roles as a mild and friendly side character. But decked out in aviator shades and a Fu-Man-Chu mustache, this is one mean fella to avoid in a dark alley.

“She Rides Shotgun” is a father-and-daughter road trip movie, but crossed between “Breaking Bad” and “Natural Born Killers”. The acting and drama kick it up another notch.