Movie Review: ‘Motor City’ | Moviefone

Alan Ritchson in Potsy Ponciroli’s ‘Motor City’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

Opening in theaters on July 24th is the new action thriller ‘Motor City’, which was written by Chad St. John and directed by Potsy Ponciroli (‘Greedy People’).

“Love will drive you mad.”

Release Date: Jul 24, 2026

Run Time: 1 hr 43 min

Budget: $30,000,000

The film stars Alan Ritchson (‘Reacher’), Shailene Woodley (‘The Descendants’), Ben Foster (‘Hell or High Water’), Pablo Schreiber (‘Den of Thieves’), and Ben McKenzie (‘Gotham’).

Related Article: Alan Ritchson Talks Prime Video’s ‘Reacher’ Season 3 and the New Cast

Initial Thoughts

Alan Ritchson in Potsy Ponciroli’s ‘Motor City’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

On the surface, ‘Motor City’ is an electrifying and very cool crime thriller, stylishly directed by Potsy Ponciroli, with a rocking soundtrack, an intriguing story, interesting characters, and strong performances from the cast. But the film suffers from one glaring problem, there is almost no dialogue, and the movie is essentially silent. I get what Ponciroli was going for and it is a fascinating experiment, but much like John Woo’s ‘Silent Night’, it doesn’t work, but ‘Motor City’ almost pulls it off.

Kudos to Ponciroli’s stylish direction, the music choices, and the cast’s performances, because the film still mostly works, and you can follow the story. But I can’t help thinking that some dialogue would have helped move the story along, fleshed out the characters more for the audience, and in general breakup the film a bit so it doesn’t seem like one long music video, which it does at times.

The choice to have limited dialogue just seems like a hurdle the film could not overcome. There are scenes where the characters are talking, but you can’t hear what they are saying, which becomes frustrating in the end. The cast including Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, and Ben Foster create interesting characters, but the lack of speaking removes the audience from ever feeling like they know the who these people really are.

Story and Direction

Ben Foster in Potsy Ponciroli’s ‘Motor City’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

The film begins by introducing us to John Miller (Ritchson), a recent parolee who is about to propose to his girlfriend Sophia (Woodley), but is abruptly arrested by a crooked cop named Savick (Schreiber) for a crime he didn’t commit. Savick framed Miller for crime boss Reynolds (Foster), who is Sophia’s abusive ex-boyfriend. Confused, Sophia soon runs back to Reynolds, who continues to abuse her. But once Miller discovers the truth, he stages an elaborate prison break to save his love, which leads to one final showdown between him and Reynolds.

There is a lot to like about ‘Motor City’ such as the inspired direction, cool tone, fun characters, strong performances, and a sensational score by musician Jack White, who also appears briefly in the film. But as much as I wanted to love it, I just couldn’t get over the lack of dialogue. The gimmick doesn’t add anything to the film, and instead really drags it down. I don’t need a talk driven movie, but a few lines here and there to help explain the plot, and more importantly explore the character’s emotions, would have gone a long way.

That said, I’m very interested in seeing what director Potsy Ponciroli does next. I was very impressed with his choice of shots, use of slow-mo, and the tone he created with the visuals and the music. The action sequences are also very impressive and well orchestrated by Ponciroli, particularly the prison break and the final shootout. It is a testament to his skill as a director that the story is still as coherent as it is without dialogue, but again, it makes it hard for the audience to connect with the characters and follow the plot.

Cast and Performances

Alan Ritchson in Potsy Ponciroli’s ‘Motor City’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

Alan Ritchson, best known as TV’s Jack Reacher, gives a commanding performance and carries the movie well. At 6’3″, Ritchson was born to be an action star and ‘Motor City’ is a great vehicle for him. Even without dialogue, he strongly coveys his character to the audience and makes the love story believable. Of course, it’s the action scenes where he really shines and visually those scenes are thoroughly exciting to watch.

Ben Foster also coveys a strong character despite the lack of dialogue. You know exactly who this guy is and despise him from the first time you see him. It’s the type of sleazy character that Foster has played before in film’s like ‘Christy’, but it completely works within the tone of this film.

In maybe the most mature role she’s played to date, Shailene Woodley is mesmerizing as Sophia. The actress creates a fully believable character that the audience can really sympathizes with, especially when she returns to Reynolds. However, I think Sophia is the character that suffers from the silent format the most, as I would have really loved to hear the emotion in her voice in her more dramatic moments.

Shailene Woodley in Potsy Ponciroli’s ‘Motor City’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

Pablo Schreiber is one of my favorite actors and I’ve been a fan since his iconic performance in ‘Den of Thieves’, but the actor’s work is also hurt by the silent format. Schreiber is clearly creating am interesting and colorful character, but without dialogue it’s hard to understand the crooked cop’s relationship to Reynolds and why he is loyal to him.

Ben McKenzie is a welcomed addition to the cast as another police officer who figures out that Savick and Reynolds framed Miller, but without dialogue, that subplot is hard to decipher. In fact, there are several characters that just show up out of nowhere and without dialogue, it’s hard to know who they are other than that they are part of Miller’s crew.

Final Thoughts

Pablo Schreiber in Potsy Ponciroli’s ‘Motor City’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

‘Motor City’ is disappointing because it could have been really great, but instead it is just pretty good. The tone, story, action, characters, music and direction definitely make it interesting and elevate the material, but the choice to be mostly silent, really hurts the overall film.

‘Motor City’ receives a score of 75 out of 100.

‘Motor City’ opens in theaters on July 24th.

What is the Plot of ‘Motor City’?

In 1970s Detroit, John Miller (Alan Ritchson) falls for a local gangster’s (Ben Foster) girl (Shailene Woodley) and lands in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. With his life ruined, Miller plots revenge against the man who took his girl away.