Film Review – Motor City (2026)

      Motor City, 2026.

      Directed by Potsy Ponciroli.

      Featuring Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Amar Chadha-Patel, Ben McKenzie, Lionel Boyce, Pablo Schreiber, Rafael Cebrian, Dominic Bogart, Oleg Prudius, Mister Fitzgerald, Elliott Mayer, and Jack White.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Set in 1970s Detroit, John Miller becomes infatuated with the girlfriend of a local gangster, leading him to be imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. With his life in ruins, Miller seeks revenge against the man who stole his love from him.

      It’s no wonder that director Potsy Ponciroli, who began his career making music videos, crafted Motor City, an action movie situated in 1970s Detroit. The film features an entire drug bust involving Alan Ritchson’s imposing John Miller (who at times resembles a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, particularly when he strides toward the camera with a shotgun, reminiscent of the Terminator) set to nearly all of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain."

      This creative choice stems partly from the fact that Chad St John's screenplay includes only five lines of dialogue (chosen with expert timing to break the silence for a moment, injecting some emotional weight into the narrative). Even those not adept at lip-reading will understand that John is yelling about being set up amid the loud music (which sometimes blends into the scene, like playing on a radio, and other times serves purely as a lyrical expression relevant to the characters). While the song choices may not be obscure, featuring artists from David Bowie to Donna Summer, they, along with a cameo by the modern rock icon Jack White, who has ties to Detroit, effectively support the story.

      These loud, deliberate song selections effectively demonstrate that licensed music can evoke emotion and action through familiar genre conventions, silent-film-style body language, brutal physicality, and John Matysiak's striking cinematography (notably, one shootout occurs amidst flying sparks from explosions, and a prison escape is executed with a clean brutality even in low light). The sparse dialogue often serves as a reminder that films can maintain intense action and strong character development by confidently integrating all aspects of filmmaking.

      The performance of Alan Ritchson is also a testament to his talent, proving he's capable of more than just physical confrontations (of which there are plenty). He spends a significant portion of the film psychologically tormented by the local drug lord Reynolds (a sleazy and slimy Ben Foster), who exploited his corrupt law enforcement connections (played by Pablo Schreiber) to lock John away and steal his girlfriend, Sophia (Shailene Woodley). She is lured into a lavish life of luxury, in contrast to John's previous struggles working at a diner. In one prison scene, John imagines a painful scene of disrespect, showcasing the intense acting that drives the audience’s desire to see Reynolds face justice as much as John longs for revenge.

      Despite its premise suggesting a dialogue-free approach to maximize action, the film instead delves into John’s anguish while Reynolds presents Sophia with a distorted and empty representation of love. This troubling dynamic appears beneficial on the surface, as she is led to believe that John betrayed her by not only breaking his parole but also dealing cocaine. Few actors can capture the essence of a manipulative and threatening love interest as well as Ben Foster, and the buildup to unleashing Alan Ritchson is handled significantly well.

      However, it must be noted that the narrative is somewhat simplistic and stretched thin over its 104-minute runtime. At one point, it becomes apparent that the film hinges on the novelty of its lack of dialogue, without sufficiently distinguishing the story itself. This doesn’t negate my earlier point, as something can function well while still having clear shortcomings. Eventually, John is released from prison by his Vietnam War buddies Youngblood (Lionel Boyce) and Singh (Amar Chadha-Patel) in an exhilarating sequence that would have been better positioned about 15 minutes earlier, as the clichés start to render the dialogue-free approach a little too gimmicky. There’s a delicate balance in this tactic that falters about halfway through, but thankfully, it doesn’t remain an issue as the action escalates.

      It’s also essential to reiterate that this isn’t the action-laden film some might presume; it begins in medias res, presumably because the filmmakers are aware of audience expectations and aim to showcase a glimpse of the climax. However, Potsy Ponciroli undeniably delivers on this front, particularly during an elevator fight scene that is intensely violent and expertly choreographed, marking a significant highlight for both the director and Ritchson's career.

      The epilogue, while ambitious, may come across as absurd in its execution, yet it offers thematic depth, highlighting that Sophia has primarily been an object in the male characters' lives,