Motor City

Part operatic fever dream, part adrenaline-soaked action epic, Motor City is a visceral revenge tale set against the industrial backdrop of 1970s Detroit. John Miller (Alan Ritchson from TV’s Reacher), a blue-collar auto worker, has his world ripped apart when he’s framed by a ruthless local gangster (a supremely unsettling Ben Foster) and sent to prison. Emerging hardened and haunted years later, Miller sets out to reclaim the life — and love (Shailene Woodley) — that was stolen from him, unleashing a violent reckoning in the process.

Dialogue takes a back seat as stylized visuals, brutal action choreography, and magnetic performances drive the story forward, with raw human emotion conveyed as much through silence as sound. Elsewhere, inspired needle-drops both punctuate scenes and provide narrative context. Grammy-winning Detroit native Jack White serves as the film’s music director, curating a propulsive rock score.

Ritchson delivers a gritty, heroic performance, supported by Lionel Boyce (The Bear) and Amar Chadha-Patel (Willow), who radiates charisma at the heart of one of the film’s most thrilling action sequences. Motor City fuses the aesthetic flair of a music video with the grandeur of a Greek tragedy, affirming director Potsy Ponciroli’s continued talent for genre-defying storytelling. Following his reimagining of a Western icon in Old Henry (2021) and the darkly comic crime tale Greedy People (2024), Ponciroli crafts a cinematic symphony of muscle cars, gunfire, and heartbreak. Anchored by bold, immersive sound design, Motor City is a unique standout.

ROBYN CITIZEN