STORYLINE: After years in prison, Nate (Taron Egerton) has made some dangerous enemies, including the powerful criminal gang he worked for on the inside. Desperate for a fresh start, Nate cuts ties with his old crew on his release from prison, but the gang retaliates by putting a hit on his family. Nate picks up Polly, the shy eleven-year-old daughter he hardly knows and goes on the run to keep her out of harm’s way. As they attempt to stay off the radar, it becomes clear that their enemies are relentless and won’t give up easily. Nate teaches Polly how to survive and watches her transform from a timid little girl into a force to be reckoned with. And Nate, in turn, learns what it is to love unconditionally as he bonds with his daughter and battles for their future. (IMDb)

    Paper Moon (1973), Hanna (2011), Leave No Trace (2018), The Father (2021), and Trap (2024) are films that range in subject matter, spreading across a variety of genres, all while sharing a common heartbeat.  At the core of all those films is the evolving relationship between a father and his daughter.  To continue the diversity of that list is the 2025 release thriller She Rides Shotgun.

    The film is thrilling and intense from start to finish.  The car chase is exciting and climax put me on the edge of my seat. Throughout the film is an intense cat and mouse chase story. 

   With an eleven year old as one of the two leads of a gangster film, there are a few moments of discomfort.  Today’s society seems to have an unhealthy relationship with guns and that is reflected in the story. That consistent violence surrounding the eleven year old Polly character made me uncomfortable.  

    I get the hypocrisy about the complaints of the violence of this film. How many times have I professed my love for the 007 franchise?  I even throughly enjoyed the Kingsman films, which also starred Tarom Egerton.  Reflecting on it is this features a child as part of the violence as well as more of a since of realism. 

    That sense of realism, though, is what pulls the story together.  If, at any point, the plot became over the top the story would have fallen apart.  

   At the core of She Rides Shotun is the father/daughter relationship.  The success of the story working hinges on this working. A few things fell into place a bit to conveniently but it is a film abd in a two hour time frame you have to move things along, for the sake of the story.   

    The film was thrilling.  It was intense.  It was violent.  It was about a father and a daughter.  Things seemed to fall into place.

    Until next time I will see you at the movies!