She Rides Shotgun

Directed by Nick Rowland, She Rides Shotgun follows a recently-released con (Taron Egerton’s Nate McClusky) as he attempts to protect his daughter (Ana Sophia Heger’s Polly) from a variety of violent pursuers. Filmmaker Rowland, armed with a script by Jordan Harper, Ben Collins, and Luke Piotrowski, delivers a curiously subdued endeavor that never quite becomes as exciting and enthralling as one might’ve anticipated (and hoped), as the movie boasts a deliberate pace that remains a problem for the duration of its palpably overlong two hours – with, especially, the too-slow-for-its-own-good opening stretch initially preventing the viewer from wholeheartedly embracing the central characters’ exploits. There’s little doubt, then, that She Rides Shotgun benefits from Rowland’s appropriately gritty approach to the material and the uniformly superb efforts of a talented cast, with Egerton’s suitably intense turn certainly matched by his green (and extremely likeable) costar Heger – although it’s clear that John Carroll Lynch’s small-yet-pivotal work as the film’s menacing villain remains a recurring highlight within the erratic proceedings. By the time the violent (yet somewhat overblown) climax rolls around, She Rides Shotgun has undoubtedly (and firmly) confirmed its place as an excellent 90-minute thriller trapped within the confines of a bloated disappointment (albeit a mostly watchable one).

**1/2 out of ****