Director: Nick Rowland
Starring: Taron Egerton, Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang, John Carroll Lynch
Running Time: 120 minutes
Synopsis: In rural New Mexico, former drug dealer and reformed white supremacist Nate (Taron Egerton) has just been released from jail. The Aryan Steel gang already has a price on his head for the murder of one of their members behind bars. Nate scoops up his 10-year-old daughter Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) and they go on the run, while Detective John Park (Rob Yang) is intrigued by the possibility of using Nate to lure Aryan Steel leader Houser (John Carroll Lynch) into the open.
What Works Well: This adaptation of a Jordan Harper novel nurtures an intense yet tender father-daughter drama within a gritty pursuit story, and benefits from two immense central performances. Taron Egerton finds a career highlight as a man unable to escape the shadows of his past, and Ana Sophia Heger is a revelation as his daughter. She allows Polly to register the complexities of awakening to courage within an unforgiving world, while suffering from loss, wracked by insecurity, longing for a relationship with her father, but clearly seeing the danger surrounding him. Director Nick Rowland delivers brisk pacing, and in the conniving Detective John Park and uncompromising white supremacist leader Houser, surrounds the protagonists with memorable secondary characters.
What Does Not Work As Well: The strong focus on Nate's relationship with Polly short-changes some of the broader narrative drivers, including Nate's background, Hauser's organization, and Park's plotting.
Key Quote:
(Repeated line:) This is Steel country.
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