I’m a big fan of films and television/streaming shows that have a storyline that revolves around a father daughter scenario. Or some kind of mentoring situation. Shows like The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, and a film like Leon, The Professional are examples of Lonewolf and Cub. It’s a fantastic Japanese series. All of these were inspired by this.She Rides Shotgun is another film inspired by these stories. This time around, it’s an actual father who rescues his biological daughter.Which is a bit different than the other one, but It still has the same essence. That’s a good thing that makes this film stand out on its own.

Nathan (Taron Edgerton) is a recently released inmate who comes back to his hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, to find his wife dead. He races over to his daughter, Polly’s (Ana Sophia Heger) school, to get her before his enemies catch up to them. She’s a bit confused about everything that’s going on, but she reluctantly goes along for the ride. Along the way, they have to dodge corrupt police, and skin heads out to get them. In a fight for survival, these two have to do some things that aren’t, let’s say, morally right, but that’s what had to be done to keep from getting killed  themselves. It’s quite the road trip action thriller film.

Taron Edgerton is an actor who I’ve loved ever since first seeing him in Kingsmen: The Secret Service many years ago. Ever since I’ve been a fan of his. His performance as Elton John in Rocketman is brilliant. He’s done a lot of different kinds of roles ever since then. He’s done other action films and biopics as well as character studies,  streaming, and even horror roles. His latest role as a father trying to run from his past and trying to be a good example to his daughter who he hasn’t seen or heard from in seven years might be the hardest he had to pull off. He has started to show he is a well-rounded actor. I am excited to see what he’s got coming up in his career.

With a movie like this one, there are some elements that have to be executed to help the film achieve its goal of being exciting.  One of those things is a car chase scene.  I love good car chase scenes in action films. This one has some crazy wide back and forth chasing on two lane roads, and quite a few police cars get wrecked in the process.The editing during this sequence is pretty good.  Sometimes, there is a disbelief while watching scenes like this in movies because of how they are shot, but this one gives the viewer the whole picture of what’s going on. Edgerton is definitely behind the wheel of this car, not just a stuntman all the time.

In movies where a child actor has to play second fiddle to a big star like Edgerton, for example, they can sometimes get lost in the shuffle of what the director and story are trying to achieve. This young actress, Heger, doesn’t let that happen. She knows she’s an integral part of the story. Her journey from a young girl was lost in the confusion of the situation to a strong young woman who loves and cares for her father. She sees what he’s going through and tries to do her best to assist him. Heger owns this role as Polly.  Young child actors can be hit or miss, but with good casting directors, they can find some really talented performers. This is a great case of that. I think she will be around for a while longer, and I am excited to see what else she does in her burgeoning career.

Having had my issues with my father in the past, I know it is hard for agents to have a good relationship with their kids. Being a father isn’t easy. So when kids have turned against them, it’s hard to get them back on their side. This is a case of this.The director Nick Rowland with a screenplay by Ben Collin and Luke Piotrowsky based on the book by Jordan Harper really emphasizes father daughter struggles. They have trust issues and take a while to get on the same page, but eventually, they do. I was very enthralled by how their relationship progressed during the course of the film. This was a well developed story.

Besides Edgerton and Heger, there is a pretty good supporting cast that includes, Rob Yang as Detective Park, John Carroll Lynch as a corrupt Shetiff Houser, and Odessa Azion as an ex-girlfriend of Edgerton’s character. This wasn’t a big cast, but these three supported the main actor very well. Especially Yang and Lynch. They both seemed to enjoy their roles in the context of the story. Yang as a detective who wants to do the right thing regarding the fugitive duo. Lynch is playing up the bad guy quite a bit. He’s a bit over the top in his portrayal.  It’s nice to see him do something different than his normal comedy side character. This was a good villain turn for him.

There are a lot of blockbusters,animated films, and action movies out in theaters this summer, but one of the best I’ve seen is She Rides Shotgun. It takes the tropes of Lonewolf and Cub and expands on those elements.  It deals with trust issues and being responsible for your own actions. The action car chase was pretty cool. This was just the beginning of all the action scenes as there were gun fights and other sequences that kept the flow of the film going. The character development between Edgerton and Heger was the real reason to see this father daughter tale. They were worth the price of admission. This is an underrated, very well done story and overall film. Parents will definitely relate to this story.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen