Taron Egerton’s New ‘Gritty Thriller’ Is a Sleeper Hit Perfect for Quentin Tarantino Fans

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Taron Egerton has been deliberately choosing more intense and challenging roles lately. He first gained recognition as the action hero Eggsy in the Kingsman films, and then became a major star playing Elton John in the 2019 biopic Rocketman. After that successful film, Egerton stepped away for a bit and started to shift his career focus, taking on riskier parts in the Apple TV series Black Bird and the film Smoke.

2025 marked a turning point in the actor’s effort to redefine his image with both audiences and industry professionals. He landed the starring role in She Rides Shotgun, a film about a father and daughter fleeing a dangerous white supremacist group, and delivered a phenomenal performance. The movie was a perfect vehicle for the actor, who portrayed the troubled Nate McClusky with a captivating intensity and sense of desperation. Critics loved the film, praising its emotional depth and energetic style, even acknowledging its clear inspiration from earlier, similarly-toned classics.

Egerton Laid the Groundwork for She Rides Shotgun With a Pair of Apple TV Dramas

Though She Rides Shotgun feels like a natural progression from his roles in Black Bird and Smoke, it’s important to remember how crucial those shows were for . The 2024 Netflix film Carry-On was an enjoyable action movie, proving Egerton could still play a charming hero, but it was his back-to-back Apple TV series that really grabbed viewers’ attention and showcased his ability to convincingly portray a threatening and dangerous character.

In 2022, the series follows Jimmy Keene, a once-promising football player who became a drug dealer and was sent to prison. While inside, he’s given a dangerous assignment: befriend a convicted serial killer and try to get him to confess to fourteen unsolved murders – on top of the two he’s already imprisoned for.

Keene is definitely the more sympathetic of the two antagonists on the show. He’s portrayed as someone who made mistakes and lost his way, but the actor consistently reminds us he’s far from a hero. While Keene isn’t a murderer, he’s done plenty of wrong and has a lot of making up to do before he can find redemption.

By 2025, with his role in Smoke, Egerton had become a well-established actor. The story starts with him portraying Dave Gudsen, a detective investigating a series of arson attacks in the Pacific Northwest, initially leading viewers to think he’s the main character.

A few episodes in, the show surprisingly reveals that Gudsen is actually one of the people setting the fires, and he’s been deceiving his superiors for years. Beneath his polite exterior and blank expressions, he’s a narcissistic sociopath, and the fires he’s been setting are becoming increasingly dangerous. It’s a bold twist, but the actor delivers a compelling performance, making Gudsen a truly unsettling and memorable villain.

Nate McClusky Is Arguably Egerton’s Greatest Performance to Date

Having previously worked with the creators of She Rides Shotgun, the new series feels like a seamless continuation of their established characters. The story centers on McClusky, a man who has escaped his past as a member of the white supremacist gang Aryan Steel. After serving time in prison and severing all ties with the group, he’s shocked to learn upon his release that they’ve put a hit out on him.

To make matters even worse, his ex-girlfriend and daughter, Polly, are also targets, and he just manages to rescue Polly before the gang can reach her. While hiding out in a rundown motel, the father and daughter learn the heartbreaking news that Polly’s mother has been killed.

This touching film follows a father trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter while grappling with past mistakes. Despite his flaws, his daughter still cares for him, and the movie beautifully portrays the growing connection between them. The performances, particularly from Colin Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger, are incredibly moving and feel completely genuine – Heger’s performance is one of the best in years.

The film has touching scenes, like when McClusky awkwardly attempts to style Polly’s hair and she realizes he isn’t as skilled as he claimed. But it also features intense, emotional moments and heartbreaking displays of feeling that are sure to move even the most hardened viewers. In fact, any parent watching this movie might find it hard to hold back tears – those who don’t might just be robots!

What makes She Rides Shotgun different from similar films is that it’s not only a genuinely touching story about a father’s love during a difficult time, but it’s also incredibly action-packed. It includes intense shootouts, a long car chase following a failed robbery, some brutal violence, and a Neo-Nazi villain who seriously believes in his own importance – he even calls himself “The God of Slabtown” with a straight face.

Okay, so this movie definitely isn’t afraid to switch things up – the tone goes all over the place! I can see how that might bother someone who really likes gritty, realistic crime stories, especially with characters like McClusky and Polly being so grounded. But for me? I love when a crime movie goes big, with larger-than-life characters and tons of action. If that’s your thing, She Rides Shotgun is going to be a blast.

If you’re a fan of Tony Scott’s True Romance, you’ll likely enjoy Egerton’s action-packed and thrilling story of redemption.

True Romance’s Fingerprints Are All Over She Rides Shotgun

The 1993 film True Romance isn’t a story about family, but about the powerful connection between two people on the run from dangerous criminals. The movie follows Clarence Worley and Alabama Whitman, a young couple who flee to Los Angeles after Clarence kills Alabama’s abusive boyfriend, a drug dealer named Drexl Spivey, and unintentionally takes a bag of his cocaine.

A deeply infatuated, but inexperienced couple attempts to sell cocaine to fund their dream life together. Unfortunately, their choices will inevitably lead to a violent and tragic outcome.

Fans of Quentin Tarantino likely know he originally wrote a script called She Rides Shotgun and planned to direct it himself. He later sold the script, allowing Tony Scott (Top Gun) to make the film. While it didn’t do well in theaters when it first came out, it has since gained a dedicated cult following. It’s easy to imagine She Rides Shotgun becoming just as popular with a devoted fanbase over time.

Tarantino skillfully combines a believable love story with his signature over-the-top violence, making for a wildly enjoyable experience. The genuine emotion connects the audience to the characters of Worley and Whitman, much like they connected with McClusky and Polly in She Rides Shotgun. This connection allows both films to playfully explore their villains.

The film She Rides Shotgun most clearly echoes True Romance in its portrayal of Sheriff Houser, played by John Carroll Lynch. Houser is a terrifying and bombastic character – a loud, foul-mouthed man who acts like a preacher and declares himself the kingpin of the local meth trade. Lynch delivers a wonderfully over-the-top performance, fully embracing the role with the same energy he brought to his smaller part in True Romance.

When the movie first came out, a lot of people were confused by Oldman’s unusual character, who pretended to be Rastafarian. Now, though, it’s widely considered one of the film’s highlights.

If you’re still wondering how similar the two films are, it’s now confirmed that Spivey directly inspired one of the writers of She Rides Shotgun. Jordan Harper explained to Letterboxd just before the film came out that while the villain Sheriff Houser in the original story and film is very different from the character Drexl (played by Gary Oldman), John Carroll Lynch’s portrayal of Houser in She Rides Shotgun captures the same unsettling and menacing presence.

If you enjoy the movie True Romance, you might also love She Rides Shotgun.

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2025-12-06 20:11