Taron Egerton Fights to Protect in Dark New Thriller ‘She Rides Shotgun’

Taron Egerton trades tuxedos and gadgets for grit and grime in She Rides Shotgun, an intense crime thriller that sees him play an ex-con trying to protect his daughter from violent gangsters and crooked cops. Directed by Nick Rowland and based on Jordan Harper’s acclaimed novel, the film puts fatherhood, survival, and redemption front and center, with a pistol in one hand and his daughter’s safety in the other.

Egerton stars as Nate, a man just released from prison and instantly marked for death by enemies waiting on the outside. What begins as an escape plan quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival when Nate is forced to protect his 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Ana Sophia Heger), from an onslaught of threats that include a criminal syndicate and a corrupt lawman with unfinished business.

The film’s emotional core rests on the evolving bond between Nate and Polly, whose strained relationship slowly becomes the film’s unlikely heart. “I cannot recall a happier or more soul-enriching experience than making ‘She Rides Shotgun,’” Egerton told Variety. “It is without doubt the most tender and felt relationship I have had with an actor onscreen.”

Director Nick Rowland, known for Calm With Horses, returns to tell a story that balances violence and vulnerability. Speaking about his approach, Rowland said, “Working on ‘She Rides Shotgun’ was about honoring Jordan Harper’s brutal, beautiful novel while finding a cinematic language that could carry both its savagery and its soul.” He added, “There’s tenderness in the trauma. That’s what I wanted to explore — how love can grow even in the darkest places.”

Joining Egerton and Heger are Rob Yang and John Carroll Lynch in supporting roles. The screenplay was adapted by Harper, along with Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. The score is composed by Blanck Mass, whose atmospheric work underlines the film’s emotional and physical violence.

She Rides Shotgun is produced by Brad Weston, Hiro Murai, Collin Creighton, Nate Matteson, and Egerton himself. Lionsgate will release the film in select theaters on August 1. You can watch the first trailer below.

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