I started wondering if the film’s stylistic choices felt clever or just like a trick pretty early on in , the new thriller directed by Potsy Ponciroli. The movie has very little dialogue, which is a bold move, especially now that we’re constantly discussing whether streaming films are designed for distracted viewers. It pushes the film to rely on visual storytelling – a technique that’s always possible, but more challenging when it’s simpler to just explain things with words.
The filmmakers behind this movie seem to have missed a key opportunity. Right from the start, the lack of dialogue feels awkward and unnatural. There are plenty of scenes where characters could be speaking – and even move their mouths as if they are – but we never actually hear them. This feels contrived. To make this approach work, the film needs a playful, exaggerated style, like a mime, inviting the audience to appreciate the silliness. John Woo’s Silent Night, another movie with very little dialogue, pulled this off successfully, which is why I liked it. Unfortunately, Motor City takes itself far too seriously.
What’s most frustrating about Motor City is its wasted potential for visual storytelling. Silence in film can be powerful, allowing a single shot or movement to convey what words would take much longer to express, but this film drags on unnecessarily. It overuses slow-motion, seemingly trying to create a sense of importance, and the story takes far too long to get going. This sluggish pace weighs the film down so much that even the climax can’t save it from feeling heavy and dull.
There’s Too Little Action In Motor City (And Not Enough To Replace It)
The movie Motor City starts by quickly showing its ending, then jumps back in time to a moment when things are looking up for the main character, John, played by Alan Ritchson. He finishes work and finds out he’s off parole. Although his car is stolen, he manages to recover it – along with a mysterious diamond ring inside. John doesn’t seem concerned by this strange discovery. The day gets even better when he proposes to his girlfriend, Sophia (Shailene Woodley), and she accepts.
John’s life quickly falls apart when the police raid his home. They discover a large quantity of drugs hidden in his car, planted by a corrupt officer (Pablo Schreiber) and a disreputable club owner (Ben Foster). We learn through flashbacks that this club owner was Sophia’s former abusive partner, who resented losing her. John is sent to prison for a long sentence, facing harassment from three guards involved in the scheme, and his enemies continue to make things worse. However, their actions only fuel his rage.
A lot of time is wasted on establishing the groundwork for a revenge story, and that’s a common issue in these kinds of films. Revenge stories are usually straightforward and intense, designed to satisfy a specific craving. If a movie delays that satisfaction, it needs to offer something else compelling in return. Motor City takes place in 1970s Detroit, but it doesn’t fully capture the atmosphere of the era beyond the cars and hairstyles. The characters are fairly predictable, and spending so much time with them becomes a problem.
The movie suffers from weak character development, and the limited dialogue makes this problem even worse. It could have been much better, but the characters all feel predictable and simply fulfill their roles in the plot rather than feeling like fully realized people. The acting feels strangely flat – it’s as if the actors aren’t truly acting without much dialogue, lacking the emotional depth and personality that would make the characters compelling. In fact, Amar Chadha-Patel delivers the most engaging performance as one of John’s friends and a fellow Vietnam vet; his smaller role is the only one that feels like it could fit into a more traditionally acted film.
Fortunately, once the action picks up, this thriller delivers some genuinely exciting moments. While the gun battles aren’t particularly innovative, the hand-to-hand combat feels realistic and intense. After spending much of the film scowling and flexing, actor Ritchson finally gets a chance to showcase his potential as an action star. If the movie had focused more on scenes like those, it would have been much more successful. Unfortunately, Motor City fails to capitalize on its strengths, even at the very end.
Motor City releases in theaters on Friday, July 24.
2026-07-24 22:09