Motor City is an ambitious love letter to macho man action cinema that dominated the '70s and '80s.
Written by Elizabeth Mulloy
On paper, Potsy Ponciroli's Motor City is narratively no different from other revenge films. In. 1970s Detroit, John Miller (Alan Ritchson, Reacher) falls for a local gangster's girl and lands in prison for a crime he didn't commit. With his life ruined, Miller plots revenge against the man who took her girl away. It is a classic story that we have seen dozens of times before in films over the past century, such as The Fugitive (1993), The Count of Monte Cristo (2024), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), Falling Down, (1993), and Oldboy (2003). However, have we ever seen this type of film without a single line of dialogue?
I get it; no dialogue is a big hurdle for any film to overcome. It worked incredibly well during the silent era of film, but given how much the medium has evolved over the past century, a dialogueless feature can seem like an impossible challenge. It places the entire burden of storytelling on the filmmakers and actors, asking them to convey a complete cinematic narrative without a single spoken line of dialogue. At the same time, it asks a great deal of its audience. It forces trust upon its audience as they are left to piece together the story on their own in an era where films often feel compelled to explain every last detail. So, does the dialogueless approach in Motor City work? For the most part, I will say yes. There are moments where the absence of dialogue makes the storytelling feel a bit clunky, but those rough patches never overshadow just how entertaining the film is.
From start to end, Motor City is everything that you would want in a revenge film. Every action piece is overflowing with blood, sweat, and testosterone as we follow John Miller as he takes his revenge against the gangster who framed him. Whether it's a high-speed car chase through the smoldering streets of Detroit or a brutal fight inside the claustrophobic confines of an elevator, each sequence is meticulously crafted to keep the audience gasping, laughing, and wincing as Miller dishes out his own brand of justice.
The filmmaking is just as intense as the action itself. Every frame is drenched in the smoldering grime, cocaine, and testosterone-soaked atmosphere of the 1970s, which creates a world that feels equal parts stylish and lived-in. Paired with slow-motion shots that would make Zack Snyder proud, the film embraces a heightened visual style that is every bit as bold as its unconventional storytelling. Rather than playing it safe, Motor City constantly experiments with its visual language, making the filmmaking feel just as daring as the narrative it's trying to tell.
The performances are strong across the board. Ritchson is everything you would expect from a macho action star, commanding the screen with his imposing physicality. But beneath all of that muscle is a quiet vulnerability in his eyes that keeps Miller grounded, making him feel deeply human as he navigates a world defined by pain and betrayal. Shailene Woodley is a feisty bottle rocket who refuses to take shit from anyone, while Ben Foster is perfectly cast as a weaselly, coked-up gangster whose oversized ego is constantly at odds with his own cowardice. Paired with a soundtrack packed with the greatest hits of '70s classic rock, their performances make it easy to understand exactly who these characters are and what drives them.
Sure, Motor City is clunky. It's clichéd. It's simple. But does any of that really matter? Once you surrender to the film's wavelength, you are in for one hell of a good time at the cinema. It's unapologetically pulpy, gloriously over-the-top, and never pretends to be anything other than what it is. At the end of the day, Motor City is an ambitious love letter to macho man action cinema that dominated the '70s and '80s. It may not reinvent the genre, but it shows what the genre can be and how to give it a new spin.
Motor City will be released in movie theaters in the United States on July 24.
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