Director Potsy Ponciroli follows up his Coen-esque Greedy People (2024) with 70s set crime thriller Motor City, which like his earlier film is filled with memorable characters and some brutal violence. However, the similarities stop there. Whereas Greedy People was filled with memorable dialogue, for Motor City Ponciroli has boiled things down to the bare essentials, with the film having roughly five lines of dialogue in its entirety. Instead, the film is told almost visually through its assortment of hard hitting action scenes and a killer soundtrack.
This idea may seem gimmicky, but for the most part Ponciroli makes it work. John Woo attempted something similar a few years back with Silent Night (2023), and while that movie had better action scenes, the reason behind the film having no dialogue didn’t fully work.
With Motor City, it isn’t so much that the characters don’t speak, it’s more that we just don’t hear them. Ponciroli shoots many scenes from a distance or through glass so it makes sense that we wouldn’t hear what the characters say. On occasion it doesn’t ring true, with it being unbelievable that someone wouldn’t say anything, but for the most part Ponciroli makes it work.
Taking place in 1977, the film follows the exploits of ex-con John Miller (Alan Ritchson), who is gearing up to propose to his girlfriend Sophia (Shailene Woodley). He has hardly had time to show her the ring before a squad of policemen break down his door to arrest him, with them finding his car filled with drugs.
Set up by Sophia’s ex Reynolds (Ben Foster), with help from corrupt cop Savick (Pablo Schreiber), John is swiftly sent to prison for the next 25 years. Sophia doesn’t exactly stand by her man, hooking back up with Reynolds while John adjusts to life inside. Receiving a letter from Reynolds taunting him, John decides he needs to get some payback. With help from his friends, John plans a prison escape in order to exact his revenge on Reynolds.
The plot of Motor City isn’t exactly original. There have been countless revenge movies through the years. What sets Motor City apart is how Ponciroli tells his tale. Unable to rely on exposition, Ponciroli creates a fantastically visual film, with his talented cast doing wonders just through their facial expressions and body movement. Throw in some extremely brutal action scenes with possibly the best soundtrack of the year and you have one enjoyable actioner, even if it doesn’t fully hit the landing.
This isn’t to say that the ending is poor, but I could definitely see it being frustrating to some. Whilst I took it as showing the lengths some will go to get revenge, it could be seen as disappointing to certain viewers. However, this is a minor blip in what is an otherwise well made action thriller.
Even without dialogue, Motor City manages to stand out from the crowd of similar themed action movies due to its late 1970s setting. Obviously never having been alive in the 70s, and never having been to Detroit, I can’t really comment on how authentic the setting is. Still, the film does look suitably authentic, with costumes, cars etc all being suitable for the time period. What also cements the 70s feel is its mood setting soundtrack, with it being the perfect accompaniment to the on screen action. Steve Jablonsky typically does great work with the score, but it’s the choice of songs throughout that truly makes the film come alive.
Kicking the film off with David Bowie’s Cat People (Bowie’s album version no less) works as a perfect taster of what’s to come, with several scenes in the film being set to the likes of Fleetwood Mac and The Moody Blues. Even if you come away disliking the film, there is no way you can say that the soundtrack is poor.
Thankfully, the visuals courtesy of cinematographer John Matysiak work perfectly with the music, with Matysiak giving the film a distinctly gritty feel, similar to many 70s action thriller. They are somewhat more flashy, with the film on occasion having an almost dreamlike quality in certain scenes. The lack of dialogue almost certainly plays into this feeling. There is the odd touch of iffy CGI included, but not enough to really disrupt the flow of the film.
Like his previous film, Old Henry (2021) and the aforementioned Greedy People, Ponciroli isn’t one to shy away from bloodshed, with Motor City easily being his most violent film to date. Brutal hand to hand fight scenes, prison beatings and intense shootouts are par for the course, with the film’s best action scene being a brutal one on one elevator fight between Alan Ritchson and Pablo Schreiber.
Speaking of Ritchson, he’s been particularly busy as of late, with him recently starring in action comedy Playdate (2025) as well as War Machine (2026). Of the three, I would definitely say Motor City is the most enjoyable. Ironically, the fact that he is unable to speak actually stretches Ritchson as an actor, with him having to show all emotion through his face and movement.
Obviously Ritchson excels in the film’s action scenes, with his imposing build becoming an asset as the story progresses. There’s no real backstory needed to make someone the size of Ritchson imposing.
As great as Ritchson is, it is Ben Foster that ends up stealing the show as the slimy Reynolds, sporting some of the most garish clothes a 70s wardrobe can provide. Unlike a typical villain, Foster clearly conveys regret over some of his actions, and although he doesn’t let his conscience get in his way, his violent ways have clearly left a mark.
Shailene Woodley does well in what is essentially the only main female role in the film. It would have been easy to make her character either the damsel in distress or the femme fatale, but this allows Woodley to go somewhere different. Sophia isn’t exactly the character to like, especially how swiftly she turns her back on the supposed love of her life. Still, she still makes her character understandable, all the more impressive by doing it without speaking.
Pablo Schrieber has a good, sleazy, 70s vibe going for him too, with him being as much the villain here as Foster. A crooked cop, he is more than a physical match for Ritchson, with him actually towering over him on occasion. As mentioned, the film’s standout set piece is a fight between the two of them, with them both being more than a match for the other. In smaller roles, Ben McKenzie gives solid support as what seems to be Detroit’s only good cop. Then there’s Lionel Boyce and Amar Chadha-Patel as Youngblood and Singh, friends of John who not only help him break out of prison but help him on his mission of revenge.
It has been quite the journey for Motor City to reach the screen. As far back as 2011 there was talk of Albert Hughes going to direct, with Chris Evans taking on the lead role. Obviously that version never came to be with actors such as Dominic Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal and Gerard Butler all being potential leads. Butler even went on to sue the original producers Randall Emmett and George Furla after the production fell apart.
The original plans for the film would probably have been much different from what Ponciroli has ultimately made, with it being his idea to forego with the script’s dialogue and have it driven purely by its action and music. It has certainly made the film unique amongst the genre and one that should find an audience amongst fans of gritty 70s crime thrillers.
Plot: 3/5
Acting: 5/5
Action: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.8/5