Motown and muscle cars – two aspects that help define Detroit with its history as a strong and rebuilding city. Those attributes are two features that make their presence known in this violent yet silent ode to “Motor City” itself. This is Potsy Ponciroli’s third directorial film and stars Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, & Lionel Boyce. We follow betrayal, revenge, and misguided love in the mean streets of 1977 Detroit and the extent to which one man must endure to have justice fulfilled. ‘Motor City’ has its moments and is full of good concepts, bad men, and ugly wigs.
John Miller (Alan) is a blue collar worker who falls for Sophia (Shailene); a woman with personal and complicated ties with local gangster, Reynolds (Ben). Driven with jealous ambitions and a corrupt police payroll, John is set up for a drug bust that sees him sent to prison and his love back into the arms of her old flame. With nothing but time, John sets out on his plan to exact the very justice that he was never awarded.
Silent but Deadly
In the first 20 minutes of watching, you will realize that “no one has said a SINGLE word.” Therein lies the concept that impacts the movie viewing experience; appreciating the artistry of direction, stunts, and plot progression without dialogue. Not too many films have been able to go with this style of film. The ones that come to mind are ‘Silent Night’ by John Woo and the ‘Quiet Place’ franchise. ‘Motor City’ is the next film added to that silent action niche. The plot is easy to follow, characters are able to establish their intentions and ill intentions for once another, and Alan Ritchson is in his bag with another hero role that he bodies yet again.
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While the very “show, don’t tell” take is greatly appreciated with this silent approach, there is much to be said regarding development and establishment with many of the characters. John is a character who we get to see inside and out. And we get a glimpse into the tortured past of Sophia and present hardships she faces with Reynolds and company. But the same cannot be said for the motivations and reasons for the side characters. Why or how the police/prison teams are as corrupted as they are, and the backstory for John’s allies could have been fleshed out a tad bit more.
Clichés & Commitments
ven with the conventional storyline for a wronged man seeking revenge and justice, Alan brings life to the “working man” John Miller. Through his expressions, the hurt in his eyes, or the visible seething rage as he plots in his cell, Alan shows how versatile he can be; all while saying absolutely nothing. We have a myriad of crazy wigs and wild costume designs – amazing stunt work and action sequences – the infusion of classic 70’s music; all of this comes together for an action packed time with Ritchson leading the way.
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Where the movie tends to drag is with long stretches of the very silence it tries to emphasize. Back and forth pivots between characters goes on for one too many scenes. Plot devices are present in order to push the story along. But the biggest letdown is the non-commitment to the silence. They move along with the film with zero dialogue spoken for many characters only for the glass shattering of words to be spoken at marginal moments. There could have been a build up of nothing spoken to have some words finally shared in the final act.
Final Thoughts
You will find nothing but high octane thrills and over the top feats while watching ‘Motor City’. It meets expectations in the entertainment department and brings forth the fruition of grit and musical prowess to represent a city like Detroit. Though not perfect, the narrative concept is one that took risks and brought authenticity to the movie-going experience. And above all, Alan Ritchson is a BAD man who embraces his silent archetype one more time.
