In She Rides Shotgun will be released for a limited time on August 1st. Credit to Lions Gate.
Los Angeles, California (June 6, 2025)- In She Rides Shotgun, director Nick Rowland takes audiences on a harrowing journey through the American underbelly in a searing adaptation of Jordan Harper’s acclaimed novel. Equal parts survival thriller and heartfelt drama, the film stars Taron Egerton as Nate, a recently released ex-con whose freedom comes at a steep price. Hunted by enemies and forced to reckon with the past he tried to leave behind, Nate must protect his 11-year-old daughter, Polly, played with astonishing depth by newcomer Ana Sophia Heger, in a story that pulses with danger, love, and redemption.
From the opening scene, She Rides Shotgun signals it’s not just another gritty crime drama. The screenplay—written by Jordan Harper, Ben Collins, and Luke Piotrowski—dives headfirst into the emotional and physical stakes that define Nate and Polly’s fractured world. The bond between father and daughter is not just the film’s emotional core; it’s the engine of its relentless pacing and piercing moments of tenderness.
Egerton, who also serves as a producer, delivers what may be the most vulnerable and volatile performance of his career. “I cannot recall a happier or more soul-enriching experience than making She Rides Shotgun,” he shared. “It is without doubt the most tender and felt relationship I have had with an actor on screen.” His praise for Heger, just ten during filming, reflects the extraordinary dynamic the two share on screen—an unpredictable, emotionally charged relationship that matures under fire.
Polly is no damsel-in-distress. Heger’s portrayal moves between fear, resilience, and deep-seated yearning with a naturalism that makes her performance unforgettable. As Nate teaches Polly how to navigate a world filled with predators and corruption, she teaches him how to reclaim his humanity. Their relationship—awkward, painful, and ultimately transformative—redefines the very idea of what it means to protect and to be protected.
Set against a bleak rural backdrop and featuring a blistering soundtrack by Blanck Mass, the film refuses to glamorize violence. Instead, it places emotional survival at the forefront. “The film is about two people—strangers, really—who find a way to become a real family in the most brutal of circumstances,” said Rowland. “There’s tenderness in the trauma. That’s what I wanted to explore—how love can grow even in the darkest places.”
The supporting cast includes Rob Yang, John Carroll Lynch, and a chillingly effective ensemble of corrupt lawmen and gangland figures. But the true heart of the story always returns to Nate and Polly—two broken people fumbling toward wholeness, one mile, one fight, one shared moment at a time.
Backed by producers Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Nate Matteson, Hiro Murai, and Egerton himself, with a powerhouse list of executive producers, She Rides Shotgun arrives with weight and intention. Its cinematic language is one of contradictions—beauty in brutality, grace in violence, and hope where none should exist.
“She Rides Shotgun is a ride, and it doesn’t let go,” said Rowland. And that ride, according to Lionsgate’s Lauren Bixby, is precisely what drew the studio in. “It’s rare to find a film where an already acclaimed actor does something so extraordinary that you take notice,” she said. “Director Nick Rowland created what is not only a captivating experience, but also one that will leave the audience changed from when they entered.”
With its raw storytelling, powerhouse performances, and poignant emotional core, She Rides Shotgun is more than an action-thriller—it’s a reckoning with what it means to survive and love in a world that’s trying to tear you apart.
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