She Rides Shotgun 2025 is a hidden gem of near perfection
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by Blender Dumbass
Aka: J.Y. Amihud. A Jewish by blood, multifaceted artist with experience in film-making, visual effects, programming, game development, music and more. A philosopher at heart. An activist for freedom and privacy. Anti-Paternalist. A user of Libre Software. Speaking at least 3 human languages. The writer and director of the 2023 film "Moria's Race" and the lead developer of it's game sequel "Dani's Race".
I'm furious! How the fuck nobody knows about the 2025 Nick Rowland film She Rides Shotgun starring Ana Sophia Heger and Taron Egerton? What the fuck is this? This movie is so good, yet because studio-heads apparently didn't get it, there was no advertising for it. And only a limited theatrical run. Which resulted in very little people seeing the damn film in the cinema. This fucking film! Are you fucking kidding me? They have fucking best picture Oscar material, and yet they try to hide it from everybody? What the fuck is wrong with you, Lionsgate? Fuck! c:4 ↩ Reply
So here is the premise of the movie: A biological father of a little girl just got released from prison, but due to some involvement of his, in some criminal stuff, he is now hunted by white supremacists. He fails to save his ex-wife and her new husband. But he is just in time to save his 9 year old daughter that is waiting for her parents to pick her up at the school. The story is about this father daughter relationship, while they are on the run from both cops and white supremacists. ↩ Reply
The girl is played by Ana Sophia Heger. And I don't really know how the hell I find these movies, I suppose I'm developing a sixth sense for them, or something, but she is Oscar-worthy. She could be a little annoying to those people who got annoyed by Dakota Fanning in War of the Worlds, because she cries a lot in the film. But fuck you! She is amazing. And let me see you cry so convincingly on queue, you motherfucker. If anything Ana Sophia Heger is the new Dakota Fanning. But because Lionsgate decided to not promote this movie what so ever and therefore the Academy Awards committee probably haven't seen it, I doubt she would get her absolutely fucking deserved Oscar. Also give Oscar to Dakota Fanning too, while you are on it. c:5 ↩ Reply
Now the male performance Oscar should go to Taron Egerton who plays her father in the film. Damn, this is a broken ass motherfucker. ↩ Reply
Nick Rowland's direction in the film is very on point. He switches modes in the film, between a style similar to Lars Von Trier, when he is shooting drama scenes. Which has this slightly spontaneous hand-held feeling to it. And he uses a much more controlled, smooth camera when directing epic action scenes. Though, when it comes to the epic chase in the film, I believe a few shots use a camera that is a bit too far away from the action at times, which lowers the amount of excitement. I remember doing the chase scene on Moria's Race and at one point I thought it would look epic if I show the length of the road, by setting up a camera farther away and with longer lens. I tested it in the sequence and it looked like the energy went down a bit. That is because when you are having such a calm shot in the middle of your action scene, it ruins it. So I moved the camera back, closer to the car, for that shot. And made sure a lot of stuff is going on in the frame. Like there is a car passing in front of the camera really fast and stuff. And suddenly it felt fucking amazing. And worked fucking well in sequence. c:0 ↩ Reply
I have no idea if Nick Rowland did previs on this movie. But a few choices of the shots feel like the kind of thing I just talked about. It is technically a good shot. It looks good. But it has lower energy compared to the shot before it. Which for a second makes the chase scene not as exciting. To be frank though, Nick Rowland is a young director and She Rides Shotgun is his second theatrical feature. So I don't necessarily expect him to be Michael Bay. The chase scene he directed for this film is perfectly epic. And me nitpicking on the few shots that have less energy, is just me nitpicking. c:7 ↩ Reply
Here is something I don't understand. I cannot find the budget figures, but it has a huge shootout scene and a rather motherfucking cool chase scene. All of which are shot very well. And which should cost a rather substantial amount of money. I don't believe we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. I think it could be done much much cheaper. But still it would require some effort from the studio-heads to recoup the money. But it seems like they simply gave up on it or something. And it isn't like a situation where the movie turns out to be terrible. The movie is fucking amazing. So what the fuck is going on there? What happened? ↩ Reply
The movie isn't too depressed. I would have made a much darker film. Actually I am making a movie right now with some similar elements to it ( as I talked about in my review of Weapons ). For example, the film, respecting the fuck out of the little girl, gives her stuff to do. Criminal stuff to do. Like she is trying to save her father a few times in the movie by indulging in violence. For example in one scene she tries to shoot a cop with a gun. And in another scene she hits a different cop with a metal rod, which should be very fucking painful. But she never actually kills anybody. The one time she tried to shoot the cop, her dad stopped her and told her that it is his job. Because he is already a criminal, and fuck him. But she needs to still have a chance for a good life. This is a rather not-depressed way to do it. I would have made her shoot the cop dead. You know, like a similar scene in Ballerina with Victoria Comte's character. Perhaps I'm just more depressed. I don't know. c:8 c:9 ↩ Reply
Still even though she doesn't kill nobody, when she indulges in violence it is rather cathartic. As I already talked about it a lot ( including in my review of Ballerina ) when I see a cute girl angrily trying to kill somebody my brain glitches and produces a weirdly large amount of dopamine. That is probably why I would have made her actually shoot the cop dead. That would have produced more dopamine through my brain glitch. Even though it would have fucked up the character's life in the movie world. ↩ Reply
The movie touches on racism and antisemitism ( maybe that is why it was not promoted, hm... ). We have an Asian looking cop Rob Yang who could be trusted just because white supremacist folk would not trust him, because he is an Asian looking guy. And there is a scene which suggests that our little girl might be Jewish. Now, her father looks like one of those ex-white supremacists. For him, his daughter playing with an idea of her maybe being Jewish is weird. And if both of them are Jewish ( which the movie never actually answers ) this could be a very interesting ironical situation, they are in. c:10 ↩ Reply
The movie hit me like a brick. I thought at first that the ending is a bit too long. Until I got what the ending is going for. And then Ana Sophia Heger's acting in the very final shot, just fucking broke the fuck out of me. Without spoiling too much, it is somewhat similar to the final shot of Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name where Timothée Chalamet does some rather impressive stuff. In both films, the actor expresses a sea of emotions. And that just fucks you up, making a soggy cry baby out of you. Which worked phenomenally on me. ↩ Reply
This whole movie is so close to perfection I don't get why nobody talks about it. I mean I do get it to some extent. It is somewhat a bit similar to the Luc Besson's film Leon: The Professional in the broad kind of structural way. But they aren't Leon and Matilda. It isn't a Lolita story. They are a father and a daughter. The movie is trying its fucking best to be non-controversial. c:11 ↩ Reply
Maybe the movie failed on some other level. Well let's think about it. Does it corrupt the audience? Yeah... It kind of does. It sets the audience on a crime journey. It makes the audience cheer for the little girl indulging in violence. It confronts that with some real life counter-arguments. But technically speaking the girls gets away with multiple murder attempts. So yeah... it does corrupt the audience. ↩ Reply
Maybe Hollywood just wanted another Leon? Maybe what Nick Rowland needed to do to satisfy the executives is to make the guy not be her father. But be some guy that kidnaps her. And with whom she falls in love. Maybe that would have worked? c:14 ↩ Reply
I think changing a producer to somebody like Luc Besson, would have made the movie much more actively promoted. Luc would have pushed that movie everywhere. He produced the 2001 Gérard Krawczyk film Wasabi that has kind of similar essence. The girl there is also a daughter. Not a girlfriend, like in Leon. ↩ Reply
I don't know. Have the producers even the seen the fucking movie? Like maybe all that was needed to do to make the movie bigger, is for the producers to watch the damn thing. That could explain everything. Or not... I don't know... I think I'm just being furious. Furious that I found something that nobody will understand me being a fan of. ↩ Reply
Happy Hacking!!! ↩ Reply
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Troler
c:0 I remember doing the chase scene on Moria's Race and at one point I thought it would look epic if I show the length of the road, by setting up a camera farther away and with longer lens. I tested it in the sequence and it looked like the energy went down a bit. That is because when you are having such a calm shot in the middle of your action scene, it ruins it.
⤴ ViewI didn't notice, it makes sense.
... replies ( 1 )
Blender Dumbass
c:1@Troler You didn't notice it, because I didn't use the shot. I redone the camera to make it more exciting. To keep the energy more consistent.
Blender Dumbass
c:1... c:0
Troler c:0 I remember doing the chase scene on Moria's Race and at one point I thought it would look epic if I show the length of the road, by setting up a camera farther away and with longer lens. I tested it in the sequence and it looked like the energy went down a bit. That is because when you are having such a calm shot in the middle of your action scene, it ruins it.
⤴ ViewI didn't notice, it makes sense.
@Troler You didn't notice it, because I didn't use the shot. I redone the camera to make it more exciting. To keep the energy more consistent.
... replies ( 3 )
Troler
c:12 March 24, 2026c:11
@Troler And no, I have not heard of the concept called parental love. Any sort of love for a child from an adult is pedophilia. Or else the law wouldn't make any sense.
Troler
c:2... c:1
Blender Dumbass c:1c:0
@Troler You didn't notice it, because I didn't use the shot. I redone the camera to make it more exciting. To keep the energy more consistent.
@blenderdumbass I didn't notice you doing that in the stream.
... replies ( 1 )
Blender Dumbass
c:3@Troler https://odysee.com/@MoriasRace:3/mrs-5-5:a?r=22ED6m8eiSs73ZEMQmbNNraxJWcmNQcg&t=5159 ( the timestamp is important )
Blender Dumbass
c:3... c:2
@Troler https://odysee.com/@MoriasRace:3/mrs-5-5:a?r=22ED6m8eiSs73ZEMQmbNNraxJWcmNQcg&t=5159 ( the timestamp is important )
Troler
c:4 March 24, 2026 I'm furious!
⤴ ViewSo am I! They had a set-up of the girl hitting a baddie on a head with a metal rod. It happened in the film, but it was such a blink-and-miss moment, that it felt like the director just ran out of steam.
Troler
c:5 March 24, 2026 And I don't really know how the hell I find these movies, I suppose I'm developing a sixth sense for them
⤴ ViewIt's almost like there is some ether material that allows you telepathically find the best movies
Troler
c:6 March 24, 2026 Before moving into film, Rowland had a successful career as a rally driver
This says so much why the chase scene was so... vibing
Troler
c:7 March 24, 2026 , Nick Rowland is a young director and She Rides Shotgun is his second theatrical feature. So I don't necessarily expect him to be Michael Bay.
⤴ ViewWell I do. Look, Michael Bay was already Bayheming! in his debut work
Troler
c:8 March 24, 2026 For example, the film, respecting the fuck out of the little girl, gives her stuff to do
⤴ ViewSo you say
Troler
c:9 March 24, 2026 Perhaps I'm just more depressed. I don't know
⤴ ViewWell... you enjoyed watching Lars von Trier movies...
![[embedded image]](/pictures/user_upload/Troler/3AOKX98LAVYRUY4B.png "I know girls don't wear Jewish hats, but she is a tomboy, so it makes her a sorta boy")
Troler
c:11 March 24, 2026 It isn't a Lolita story.
⤴ ViewSo you say. I think the father has a thing for the daughter. I mean, he has her birthday tattooed on his face.
... replies ( 1 )
Troler
c:12 March 24, 2026@Troler And no, I have not heard of the concept called parental love. Any sort of love for a child from an adult is pedophilia. Or else the law wouldn't make any sense.
Troler
c:12 March 24, 2026... c:11
@Troler And no, I have not heard of the concept called parental love. Any sort of love for a child from an adult is pedophilia. Or else the law wouldn't make any sense.
Troler
c:14 March 24, 2026 Maybe Hollywood just wanted another Leon? Maybe what Nick Rowland needed to do to satisfy the executives is to make the guy not be her father. But be some guy that kidnaps her. And with whom she falls in love. Maybe that would have worked?
⤴ ViewOr what if we go even better. Have the kidnapper be the father, but neither of they would know it.
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