Motor City
When John Miller (Alan Ritchson, "Ordinary Angels," TV's 'Reacher') steps in to rescue the beautiful Sophia (Shailene Woodley, TV's 'Big Little Lies,' "Dumb Money") from her abusive gangster boyfriend Reynolds (Ben Foster, "Hell or High Water," "Christy") in the alley behind a club, he wins the girl. Happy living a blue collar existence, Sophia is thrilled to accept his modest engagement ring, but Reynolds isn't finished and after having John arrested on false charges, gets the girl back. But after receiving a picture of the two of them from a prison guard, Miller is all fired up in "Motor City."
Laura's Review: C
Director Potsy Ponciroli ("Old Henry") and screenwriter Chad St. John ("London Has Fallen") try to make something old new again by turning a simplistic love triangle revenge actioner into a juke box musical with only a handful of recognizable dialogue. That Jack White provides both the score and acts as musical director, throwing such tunes as David Bowie's 'Cat People (Putting Out Fire),' Bill Withers' 'Lovely Day,' The Moody Blues' 'Knights in White Satin' and Donna Summers' 'I Feel Love' into the mix, is a big plus, as is Ritchson and a handful of well choreographed action sequences, but the experiment fails because it leaves us searching for too many explanations while turning Sophia, appealing with John, into a fickle golddigger (until she isn't).
The film's set up works beautifully, John leaving his factory job, obtaining his ring from Youngblood (Lionel Boyce, TV's 'The Bear,' "Project Hail Mary") and proposing to Sophia as she cooks breakfast in their kitchen. They've hardly embraced when a smoke cannister comes hurtling in, police raiding the place, John taken away as Sophia screams (silently). But the next thing we know she's on the other side of a glass wall throwing her engagement ring back at him, 'I loved you,' the first line of dialogue we hear. And yet, we have no idea why this sudden reversal, just as we have no idea what charges have been cooked up against John. A good cop, Detective Kent (Ben McKenzie, TV's 'Gotham'), appears to be trying to right wrongs before he's shot by his partner, Reynolds' man on the inside, Lieutenant Savick (Pablo Schreiber, "Den of Thieves").
On the outside, Youngblood and Singh (Amar Chadha-Patel, "The Creator") work for John, keeping an eye on Sophia while planning an elaborate break-out scheme. Sophia appears to be enjoying the high life, dancing with Reynolds, dripping in fur, living in a huge mansion, but come Christmastime, he opens a gift and she physically attacks him. Why? Who knows, but Sophia becomes more sympathetic at this point, Reynolds shooting her up to keep her docile.
The real fun begins once John walks out with Youngblood, the two dressed as prison guards as Singh does donuts in front of the jail with two open gas jugs tied to the trunk of his car, the lights a match, a wall of fire providing an escape route (the 1970's setting provides a parade of muscle cars as well as Reynolds' big finned Caddy). John takes on Reynolds directly twice, once jumping on the hood of his moving vehicle, the second time jumping on its trunk. But the film's best sequence is a brutal elevator fight between Miller and Savick involving brute strength and a knife.
The film has a strange look, one which suggests CGI but is, in fact, real, something we can believe of the practical effects and most stunts. But despite a lovely romance montage in early goings, St. John's script does Woodley no favors. Ritchson morphs from a shaggy haired teddy bear into a shorn, Hulk-like figure, Chadha-Patel and Boyce both making a mark. Foster does scuzzy villains well, and suits the part here with his 70's porn stache and aviator glasses.
Jack White enlivens things once again on the way out as his 'Archibishop Harold Holmes' plays over closing credits, but "Heavy Metal" works better as a soundtrack CD than a movie.
Robin's Review: C
John (Alan Ritchson) loves his waitress girlfriend Sophia (Shailene Woodley) and, one morning, gets down on one knee and proposes. Suddenly, a smoke canister crashes through the window followed by heavily armed police. John is arrested for a crime he did not commit in "Motor City."
Director Potsy Ponciroli and writer Chad St. John create a unique revenge-laden action thriller – there is virtually no discernible dialog for the film's 113 minute runtime. This is problematic in that I had to spend too much time figuring out the plotline.
Basically, John loves a woman once connected with mobster Reynolds (Ben Foster), who wants her back. Hence the police assault, arrest and prison beatings. He wants revenge against the man who stole his woman and ruined his life, so there is a lot of prison weight-lifting and pull-ups. Meanwhile, Sophia seems to willingly return to Reynolds's arms.
In stir, John hooks up with a buddy from the Vietnam War and they plan an elaborate and deadly escape. Of course, you know they will and a confrontation is in the making, so no surprises here. What we get is an actioner that is long on violence and short on logic.
Because of the silent-movie lack of dialog we have to visualize Ben Foster as a hardened crime boss – not – and that Sophia would actually be attracted to him. I found the relationship between her and John, as fleeting as it is, to be much more believable. Also, there is no reward for the good guy being good, as you will learn, and that is definitely a negative.
Mixed in with the revenge story is a side line involving a good cop and a bunch of corrupt bad cops and prison guards doing Reynolds's bidding. It was hard to tell, at first, without actual words. I will give "Motor City" one plus – it has imagination in its storytelling in a run-of-the-mill action, revenge, shootout movie. It is too bad that I could drive a car through the many plot holes.
Independent Film Company releases "Motor City" in theaters on 7/24/26.
