Building a movie around a shtick is always a double-edged sword. Whether it’s an extended one-cut or non-linear storytelling or a lack of dialogue (as with today’s outing), you could end up with a sensational picture that achieves what others can’t… or you could end up with a flick that can’t get out of its own way and whose gimmick is more distraction than benefit.

Motor City is a new action movie with a pretty simple plot, but a pretty heavy identity: it tells its story with minimal dialogue from beginning to end. There is an occasional exclamation or so–and two characters finally exchange lines at the film’s conclusion–but by-and-large, the film sets about spinning its yarn without any speech.

The men behind this mission are director Potsy Ponciroli and screenwriter Chad St. John. They come together along with a strong cast to make a picture that’s definitely worth one thousand words. Alan Ritchson is the lead (John Miller), a man recently free from probation, who falls for the beautiful Sophia, played by Shailene Woodley. Unfortunately, when he meets her, Sophia is under the thumb of Reynolds (Ben Foster), a ne’er-do-well type who is relentless in his desire to keep Sophia.

Early in the film, Reynolds plants drugs in Miller’s car, simultaneously causing Miller to get an extended prison sentence and also bringing Sophia back into his arms. In prison, Miller has little option than to stew in his grief, even as Reynolds continues to find ways to taunt him.

Eventually, Miller is able to escape his confinement, at which time he has but two missions: get revenge on Reynolds for ruining his life, and get back his girl.

TWO UPS AND TWO DOWNS

+ The gimmick–extremely little dialogue across Motor City’s runtime–is not brand new or anything, but it IS rare, and it has to be executed carefully and with great tact to work, even in an action-heavy picture. Luckily, director Ponciroli is more than up to the task. He knows what he has been handed from the screenwriters, and he knows how to make it work.

There’s never any confusion for the viewer over what is going on or why, and only a little minor characterization seems to be missing from the picture (but more on that in a minute). Ponciroli tells the story quite effectively within the confines of the shackles set upon him by the story. Now, is it easier to do a shoot ’em up style flick without dialogue than, say, a romantic comedy? Of course. But that doesn’t detract from what was accomplished here.

+ Motor City has solid action, but it also has a decent enough story, too. The first act is relatively light on the violence, and it sets up the world and the characters well enough that we will care about them when the shooting and stabbing starts. We find out who Miller, Sophia, Reynolds, and more all are and how they relate to each other. We see what sets the plot in motion, even as Miller and Sophia are oblivious to it due to their falling in love. The score and soundtrack is used to convey characters’ emotions along the way.

And when the going really starts? It may not be on the level of some other action flicks like The Raid as far as balls-to-the-wall set pieces go, but it makes up for that by setting up its tale a little better. So the action ends up feeling just a bit more meaningful.

– Two of Miller’s friends come in around the second act and serve as big plot devices to move everything forward and get the story from point B to C. And they are some DEDICATED friends, too, as we see they re willing to put both their freedom and lives on the line to help out Miller with his girl trouble. The problem I have with it all is: why? We don’t see what makes them so loyal to Miller. We could have done with a flashback or two showing why they are willing to go to such extremes for their pal. This could easily have been done within the rules of the no-dialogue storytelling; I just wish the movie had elected to do so.

This is not to say that Motor City needed to be substantially longer than it is. And I’m not sure what all you could cut here to make room for these additions I’m requesting. But it’s the kind of thing that could have been conveyed easily enough in, say, ten minutes.  

– Shailene Woodley ís direly underused in this, and virtually any actress who is pretty could have filled the role written for her. It’s a shame that this movie ultimately ends up being a 100% testosterone fest, and the one female character is a pretty easily led empty shell who just serves as an object over which the manly man can fight. In 2026, you kind of want more from your female leads, especially when casting someone as talented as Woodley.

OVERALL

I certainly do wish that Woodley had had a bigger, meatier role in this one, because it would have improved an already polished project a great deal. There were some other minor quibbles I had: Ben McKenzie’s role as the detective who believes in Miller’s innocence goes nowhere, and the ending is a bit goofy. But on the whole, Motor City is an impressive and energetic effort I would definitely recommend.