“Motor City” is not your average action movie. Some recent action films have been trending toward minimal dialogue and a greater emphasis on the visual spectacle of high-stakes physicality. However, “Motor City” takes this genre distillation to the next level. The revenge thriller, set in 1977, contains roughly five lines of dialogue in its entire 103-minute runtime. What the film lacks in dialogue, it makes up for in satisfying scenes set to a ’70s rock soundtrack, impressive sound design, and a simple yet exciting romantic revenge plot.
“Motor City” follows John Miller (Alan Ritchson), an insanely jacked ex-convict in love. John meets Sophia (Shailene Woodley) outside of a club, where he protects her from her abusive gangster boyfriend, Reynolds (Ben Foster). It’s love at first sight for John, and he’s able to save enough money working at a factory to buy a wedding ring. However, his engagement is short-lived. Shortly after popping the question, John’s home is raided by police and they find enough drugs to put John away for a long time. Knowing that he is innocent, John is bewildered by the injustice. In the interrogation room, he has only one visitor: Reynolds. His confusion turns into furious indignation when the gangster gives him back his wedding ring, confirming that John’s imprisonment was the result of a setup by the jealous gangster. His anger turns into a vengeful rage when he later finds out that Sophia and Reynolds have married during his time behind bars. John charges headlong down a path of vengeance, determined to protect Sophia from the cruel gangster.
A Classic Revenge Tale
“Motor City” is a film about revenge and love. Its characters and motivations are quite straightforward. Before his false imprisonment, John is a model of rehabilitation. He is a towering mass of muscle and strength with an ex-convict edge. But his love for Sophia gives him a purpose that brings out his gentle, protective nature. John has a strong sense of right and wrong, and when he is wronged, he feels it to his core. “Motor City” tells a story in which John’s need for vengeance is the ultimate expression of his love.
Reynolds, on the other hand, is a man who gets what he wants by whatever means necessary. He has dirty cops on his payroll, manages a drug empire, and has amassed enormous wealth through cruelty and crime. Reynolds takes Sophia as if she were one of his possessions by framing John and reappearing in her life at a time of need. Sophia is more of a shallow character, which is an unfortunately common trope in male-dominated action films. Sophia is little more than a damsel in distress. She’s unaware of Reynolds’ crimes and is convinced that John is the real criminal. She serves as the object of these men’s affection and never develops into an autonomous character. Additionally, the film doesn’t meaningfully interrogate the destructive cycle of revenge. It only uses the setup to tell a passionate revenge story set to an epic soundtrack.
’70s Atmosphere Elevates ‘Motor City’
While the plot may be simple, it is remarkable how much detail “Motor City” can fit into its story with minimal dialogue. Without speech, the story is told through character emotion and visual inference, but the music carries the film stylistically. There are moments when the film is little more than a ’70s rock music video. However, it’s executed in a manner to maximize the satisfaction of climactic moments. The editing escalates alongside the music, giving these scenes a gratifying momentum.
A few universally recognizable needle-drops dominate key emotional scenes. The more high-octane action scenes feature ambient electronic or orchestral music so that all the sounds of forceful grunts, thudding blows, and knives squelching into flesh are foregrounded. The sound design is clearly deliberate. Without dialogue, emotions are expressed through gentle movements; a sighing breath or a gentle hesitation speaks volumes in calmer scenes. There certainly are moments when the lack of dialogue feels forced, with characters communicating through awkward grunts and mumbling. But for the most part, the lack of dialogue isn’t even especially noticeable in the midst of rocking 1977 action.
“Motor City” could have been a very different movie than the version that eventually reached the screen. The screenplay was originally written in 2009 and began development with Warner Bros. in 2011. Over the following years, casting announcements revealed several potential iterations. At various points in its development, reported cast members included Dominic Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal, Amber Heard, Gary Oldman, Gerard Butler, and Adrien Brody. However, after financing and scheduling concerns, production was halted by Warner Bros. In 2023, Alan Ritchson was announced as the lead with Timur Bekmambetov directing.
A Wordless Film that Lets Action Do the Talking
It’s impossible to say what those earlier versions of “Motor City” might have looked like, but the final cast is essential to its effectiveness. All of the leads bring great performances that complement the film’s stylistic choices well. Ritchson is a great leading man. He brings a unique ferocity and energy to the film, and his chemistry with Woodley made for an effective romance despite the lackluster writing of Sophia’s character. Foster also brings a classic ’70s sleaziness that makes for a great villain.
“Motor City” was released within months of “The Furious,” an action movie that features a mute protagonist seeking vengeance. Whereas “The Furious” primarily tells its story through kung-fu combat, “Motor City” speaks through music and emotion. Character and thematic depth are afterthoughts in this film, with the film primarily intent on delivering satisfying moments with a ’70s soundtrack. However, thoughtful sound design and an uncomplicated high-stakes story make the minimal dialogue less of a gimmick and more of a purposeful storytelling choice.
