The story opens with a haunting narration about a man who sees himself as a god made up of other men, tied to the violent gang Aryan Steel, which chants “Forever Steel, Steel forever.” This dark imagery shifts to a normal scene of Polly, a young girl waiting for her mother. Her estranged father Nathan, newly released from prison, appears and persuades her to come with him. Although Polly hesitates and asks about her mother, Nathan insists everything is fine and denies being a monster.
On the road, Polly notices unsettling details, such as stolen belongings from her home. At a motel he cuts and dyes her hair and begins training her how to use a bat. While he is sleeping she sees a news broadcast revealing that her mother and stepfather have been murdered and that she is listed in an Amber Alert. Nathan is the main suspect linked to Aryan Steel. Polly secretly calls Detective John Park, reporting that gang members with blue lightning tattoos were responsible. When Nathan learns of her call, he admits his lie and confesses that Aryan Steel killed her mother because of his past actions. He warns Polly that the same gang now wants her, and gives her the choice of returning to the police or staying with him. Despite her fear, Polly chooses her father, who promises honesty and teaches her survival tactics, urging her to fight back against men marked with blue lightning tattoos.
Seeking shelter, Nathan brings Polly to Charlotte, an old acquaintance connected to his brother Nick. Though reluctant, Charlotte allows them to stay, and Polly learns more about Nathan’s violent past and the grip Aryan Steel has on their lives.
Meanwhile, we also learn Detective Park isn't just after Nate, but intends to use him as a pawn to take down the Aryan Steel, who were protecting him while incarcerated but he had since tried to cut ties with. His partner tries to dissuade him.
Felix, a friend of Charlotte visits under the pretense he is going to help out Nate and Polly with some money. But Polly sees his lighting bolt tattoo and it becomes clear that he is part of Aryan Steel, so she goes to warn Nate. Felix and Nate fight and Nate and Polly have to leave.
They end up at a diner, where Nate struggles to figure out how to budget the money they have left. Polly helps him with the math on a notepad. After seeing her calculations, he writes "we're fucked". As a solution to not run out of money, Nate robs a store but gets shot in the leg. They flee together chased by the police but they get away.
In a roadside trucker chapel Nate lets Polly tend to his bullet wound with supplies from the nearby gas station.
When Polly goes outside, a corrupt police officer affiliated with the Aryan Steel finds and almost shoots her but Nate saves her in time. They ditch the car they fled from the police in for the dead officer's cruiser. However, Detective Park later investigates the scene and discovers the body of the officer, which gives him the idea to call dispatch and ask about the dead officer's car's location. This leads him to Nate and Polly, who are making a break for the border to Mexico on foot through the desert.
Detective Park arrests Nate, but since he suspects local head sheriff Houser of being the leader of the Steel, instead of turning Nate in, he convinces him to infiltrate the Aryan Steel to catch Houser and his meth operation, Slabtown. Nate says a final goodbye to Polly, and tries to get to know more about her. She confides in him that she doesn't really know what she wants to be when she grows up, but maybe a dancer would be nice. She asks him what he wants to be when he grows up, and he says he never gave it much thought and just followed his brother Nick, who was in the Steel, but that Polly is much smarter than that. He says goodbye and drives off towards the location of the meth lab.
Meanwhile, Park keeps an eye on Polly at a motel, but she is upset he caused her dad to leave so she storms into the bathroom, slamming the door. John Park's detective partner shows up, only after John slips a note under the bathroom door instructing her to stay hidden. His suspicious are correct and his partner turns out to be working for the Steel, giving away that Howser suspects Nate's arrival. A firefight ensues, and John wins. Him and Polly are seen driving rapidly through the desert.
Nate arrives at the Slabtown, where just shortly before we are shown Houser cutting into the stomach of a Mexican mafia member to obtain some drugs, all while taunting him. Nate attempts to sneak around the premises but is seen and takes cover in a camper. The Steel surround it, riddling it with bullets, and drag Nate out, beating him then taking him to Houser. He is hung up by his wrists the same way the Mexican drug mule was previously, and Houser questions him about what he told anyone else about their operation. Nate is defiant and threatens to kill him, so Houser tries to intimidate him by calling himself invincible as the God of Slabtown, saying you can't kill a god. Nate retorts saying you can by not believing in him, on which cue you hear police sirens in the background.
John Park and his calvary have arrived and have Slabtown surrounded, and Houser comes out of the trailer he was torturing Nate in. However, he instructs the Steel to open fire and a massive firefight ensues, with casualties on both sides. Meanwhile Polly disobeys Park's orders to wait in his car, and runs into Slabtown to look for her dad. She suspects him to be in the trailer and sacrifices her stuffed bear to distract the dog guarding the entrance. Inside she discovers Nate and frees him, but only right before Houser comes back inside, beats him up, and takes Polly as a hostage outside in front of the police, threatening to shoot her if they don't lower their weapons. While it seems he has the upper hand, Nate regains his last bit of strength and uses it to grab a sharp object and limp outside. He stabs Houser and Polly wriggles free. Nate yells at her to look away, his last act as a father trying to protect her before the police shoot both him and Houser.
Later Polly is seen speaking to a counselor at the police station and is then taken by Park to a foster family. He says she can call him if she ever needs anything. She is apprehensive and quiet, still shaken by the recent events, but warms up a bit as her foster sisters invite her to play Just Dance with them. The last scene is of her dancing, fulfilling her dream she discussed with her dad, and her expression is hopeful but sad at the same time, with tears in her eyes.
In June 2023, Taron Egerton was attached to star in the film with Nick Rowland directing. Rowland revised the screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, based on the novel by Jordan Harper.[4] In October 2023, it was announced that Fifth Season would fully finance the film with Brad Weston and Collin Creighton producing for Makeready and Hiro Murai and Nate Matteson for Superfrog. Taron Egerton is set to star and serve as executive producer.[5]
The soundtrack album, composed by Blanck Mass, was released on Invada Records.[8]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 61 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "A gritty thriller grounded in powerful emotional stakes, She Rides Shotgun is harrowing but enlivened by Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger's superb performances."[9][10]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11][12] Movie Review wrote, "Nick Rowland's She Rides Shotgun is a gritty, emotionally charged thriller."[13]
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