She Rides Shotgun (#713)


I find it hard to explain why I saw and liked a movie with such an unappealing title as SHE RIDES SHOTGUN, but I did. It was not a western as the title implies, but the story of a young girl who is unexpectedly picked up after school by her father whom she hadn't seen for a long time because he just got out of prison, and who explains to her that they had to get out of town because he is being pursued by enemies who have already killed her mother. Wary and untrusting, she reluctantly goes with him and they slowly bond as he begins to teach her how to defend herself from the pursuers who eventually catch up to them. Surprisingly, it is a sentimental story of relationships and I guess I liked it because I could watch them and enjoy their evolving interaction instead of being besieged by aliens and other mystical creatures. Both leads, neither of whom I recognized, did a more than credible jobs with their roles, and it didn't get too violent. If you enjoy old fashioned melodramas, this one might fit the bill.  I was not surprised that 86% of critics and 93% of audiences gave Shotgun a thumbs tip. It's nice to see a film you like once in a while.


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