A girl marked for death must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows-her father—an adaptation of Jordan Harper’s award-winning novel.
Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) is a young girl whose dad, Nate (Taron Egerton), returns from jail and unexpectedly picks her up from school. He takes her on the run from Aryan Steel, a gang of white supremacists looking for revenge, leaving the estranged father/daughter duo to work together to survive.
This film is my first exposure to Anna Sophia Heger. She was marvelous in this role, and the film hinges on this performance. It can usually be hit or miss when it comes to child actor performances, but she carries this movie. There is a lot asked of her in this film. This poor girl goes through a lot of trauma in a short amount of time, not to mention the amount of violence she has to see, but I think she convincingly conveys all the mixed emotions beautifully.
This is a different role for Taron Egerton. I feel like he usually plays the suave, charming type. But this is a father way out of his depth, but still manages to fulfill the role of protector. Because Polly is almost always with him in this movie, she must witness him getting beaten up multiple times and him fighting off bad guys at various points. This is a gritty tale with a lot of violence, but it also has a lot of heart due to the dynamic between the father and daughter.
This type of film feels rare nowadays. These thrillers are not often made, or at least, are more often streamed now. I would say this film is akin to “The Fugitive” or “Leon: The Professional.” Director Nick Roland does a fantastic job balancing the tone of this film. Overall, it’s grounded with a mix of emotional care, some levity, and violence.
However, the weakest part of this film is the villain, Sheriff Houser (John Carroll Lynch), and his whole operation. Carroll Lynch is a notorious character actor. I always enjoy it when he pops up in a film or TV show. But here, his character is not given any depth at all. He is a corrupt cop who runs “slabtown,” a meth lab headed by him and his goons. It was a bit frustrating to have this one-note character in a film that is otherwise quite grounded.
Again, the strongest part of the film is the family dynamic at play between Nate and Polly. The action is engaging and feels realistic. There are no crazy ninja moves at play here, just punches, car chases, and shootouts. Director Nick Rowland effectively manages to switch between the grit and the heart of the story. I just wish that the antagonist and his plot were fleshed out more like our protagonist and her story was.
In Theaters Friday, August 1st
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