She Rides Shotgun is a new film releasing in limited theaters August 1st. Directed by Nick Rowland and written by Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski, the film stars Taron Egerton, Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang, John Carroll Lynch, Odessa A’zion, and David Lyons. Newly released from prison and marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly, at all costs. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly form a bond forged under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive — and she teaches him what unconditional love truly means.

I first heard about this film immediately following some internet discourse where people realized Taron Egerton hasn’t been in a theatrical released movie since 2019’s Rocketman. Since then, he’s been only in streaming movies & TV shows, which might have been best suited for him during the pandemic. Who knows. Well, he is finally back on the big screen… sort of. When an opportunity to see this early fell in my lap, I had to take it, especially after seeing Egerton’s incredible performance in the new Apple TV+ show, Smoke. I am here to tell everyone who is reading this that this deserves a wider release rollout. It’s beyond me why it’s only getting a limited release.

With a two hour runtime, I was surprised by how the film just throws you into what’s going on. Films that take this approach can be sort of hit or miss, and it feels like I may be losing some context into the book that it’s based on. I have no idea if this is a faithful adaptation, so my qualms with the film might be entirely on what happens in the book. There is a strong sense of a father and daughter coming to terms with one another, but there is also a larger story getting in the way of this with those taking Egerton’s character down.

Throwing you right into it can be quite exciting. You have no idea who these characters are, so you never know what there real intentions are. That’s what makes the journey interesting as these characters literally go on a journey. The drama between father and daughter is foundational to making the film work. Egerton gives one of the best performances of his career while newcomer Ana Sophia Heger makes a name for herself here.

The film boasts a lot of surprising action. There is an incredible tense sequence involving a gas station robbery leading into a shootout, which then leads into a high-octane car chase. Egerton does something new with the hand-to-hand combat that looks more realistic than his work on Kingsman. I love how Egerton is showing what he can do as a performer both through the action and the drama.

Even at two hours, the film can still feel a bit too long. There are various subplots going on that do serve its purpose, but it does weigh the film down when I would have either preferred the film pick up the speed or explore more of that father/daughter relationship. When everything else comes in, there are certainly twists and turns throughout that makes the film quite unpredictable, but it can also feel like a different film than the one I cared most about, which is the dynamic between the two main characters.

I believe I first saw the movie right before my early screening of Sorry, Baby. I found it fitting as I saw John Carroll Lynch go from bad guy to good guy in one day. He always puts on a great performance and he does so here. I just don’t think his character is all that well written. Much like some other aspects of the film, his character can also be overly cartoonish, which may take viewers out of the realism the film is trying to go for.

Lastly, the ending almost derails the film. It has its thematic purpose that stayed with me long after watching it. It’s something new and it has something to say, so I will give props to the filmmakers for doing something like this. It’s also incredibly sad and not at all what I expected out of the film. I could easily see others being disappointed with how the film ends, much like I was. I would also say to think on it. I feel like if this had a larger release rollout, it could get more people talking, which is exactly what the end of the film sets out to do.

Overall, She Rides Shotgun is another solid entry in Taron Egerton’s filmography with one of his best roles to date. Ana Sophia Heger is a force in the film. Without Egerton & Heger, there is no movie. The film has some writing flaws here and there, but the performances and the direction easily make up for it. I hope this is a resurgence in Taron Egerton returning to the big screen.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)