'She Rides Shotgun' Searches for Greatness title_ext

In She Rides Shotgun, an ex-con flees with his daughter to outrun some bad dudes in this action-drama-thriller that feels like an episode ripped from Breaking Bad—but lacking the bigger picture. Fine but forgettable, it’s a harmless if nonessential effort from director Nick Rowland. 

The versatile Taron Egerton gives an immersive, all-in performance (how is this guy not a bigger star?) as Nate, who may not be the best dad in the world but who still has protective instincts that kick into gear when things get rough. Also excellent is young teen Ana Sophia Heger, who nearly steals the show. The leads are superbly cast and have great chemistry together (the supporting cast… less so). 

Rowland flashes his talent as a director, offering up an efficient and straightforward piece of gritty entertainment. But he never quite achieves the momentum you can tell is just out of reach—after a fast-paced and engrossing first act, She Rides Shotgun mildly misfires as it hits the open road. It slows down when it should speed up, swerving between action and drama in uneven starts. When it veers into the median, it begins to feel generic.

The action-packed third act did remind me of something you’d find in Breaking Bad—just drop Aaron Paul in for Egerton’s character and you’ll see what I mean. But the action-packed climax doesn’t quite match the rest of the movie; it’s almost too much for the story, which is practically begging for a more nuanced or more sophisticated conclusion. 

She Rides Shotgun isn’t that far off from being a solid movie, but its uneven blend of action and drama draws away from its emotional core—which should be the relationship between father and daughter. Rowland wants it all, but the end product is less than the sum of its parts. 

Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.

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