Motor City

The action scenes and kills are bloody, and the performances and muscles are big. After Amazon’s “Reacher,” consider “Motor City” another showcase for the above-the-title billed Alan Ritchson as a credible, cinematic leading man.

Motor City, as its best, qualifies as a true immersive cinematic experience. It’s a movie almost entirely without words, but it speaks.

For a while, you think this is a test to see how long the film can extend the trick. But by the half hour mark, you realize that it’s not a trick, it’s the whole damn movie, which relies on the fact that action heroes like John should mostly shut up and that viewers know the beats of these films well enough to do without non-visual exposition.

It’s a tale as old as time, but the filmmaking basks in its luxurious style as the performances do their best to create captivating portraits of their own. There may not be too much distinctiveness from what’s on the page outside of the lack of talking, but sometimes words fail. Action is needed, and this has more than enough to satisfy.

Potsy Ponciroli’s Motor City feels like a lost B-movie from a bygone era, channeling the spirit of the vigilante films and other exploitation genres of the 1970s.

While it’s not without entertainment value, Motor City feels like it wants to be Don Siegel meets Michael Mann meets Walter Hill with a dash of John Woo, but ends up an ersatz version of all their work.

This is a showy exercise, Ponciroli purposefully hamstringing one dimension of his film and then expecting to be praised for rising above the very adversity he created, and not even the bloodthirsty action can salvage it from pretentiousness.

I thought this movie was good. At first, the lack of dialogue took a little getting used to, but as the film went on, it worked. The story isn’t anything special or incredible, but it’s serviceable for the kind of film this is. It also takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it’s good. The third act is by far the best part of the movie, and the action is insane. Overall, this is a good movie that feels different from a typical action film. 7/10.

The best thing about this movie: This movie goes all in on "show don't tell". No exposition. All visual storytelling. That said, too much slow-mo and thin story. But Alan Ritchson’s best action movie. Some parts are great. Some parts drag. A cool experiment of a silent movie in 2026. Worth a watch if you like these kinds of movies.

The unique aspect of this film is that it’s essentially a music video. Except for a few words in the background and the inevitable final line, the entire story is told thru music and visuals. It’s set in 1970’s Detroit and stars Alan Ritchson as a man who’s thrown into jail as soon as he proposes to his girlfriend (Shailene Woodley). Turns out her ex (Ben Foster) is the jealous man behind it. Thus begins a rather standard revenge thriller with some solid action and an involving story. The soundtrack is full of period hits, plus flashy period wardrobe, muscle cars and so much smoking! This isn’t really about the plot, but director Potsy Ponciroli’s unique approach, which is presented in a undeniably cinematic and fascinating showcase. Interestingly, in today’s phone-obsessed world, this film requires continual attention, since there’s no dialogue to listen to while checking messages.

**** many repetitive scenes. There are a smattering of good fight scenes but they don't justify sitting through the whole movie.

I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this. I often at times had the feeling that the movie went on and on without making a connection with the actors, even though you could see the relationships the characters had in the movie. Some people laughed at points where the movie wasn't funny, which I think is something people would expect from a silent film, as a lot was slapstick back then; however, the film was real action and combat with some things happening that would happen in real life. I believe it's not a good fit for the genre or today's audience, as it feels disconnected. The delivered lines lacked power; I believe that if the filmmakers had created this in 2006 when they began writing the script, it might have been more effective.