THE STORY – In 1970s Detroit, Miller falls in love with a local gangster’s girl. In retaliation, the gangster enacts a frame job to send the innocent man to prison. His life ruined, Miller plots a revenge campaign against the man who took his girl away.
THE CAST – Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, Ben McKenzie, Lionel Boyce, Amar Chadha-Patel & Rafael Cebrián
THE TEAM – Potsy Ponciroli (Director) & Chad St. John (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 103 Minutes
Sometimes, there is a necessary simplicity to action fare that is vital to ensure the spectacle will be as entertaining as possible. If the plot mechanics are too convoluted or evolving, then it’s difficult to truly let yourself be taken by the grandiose adventure that’s on display. Yes, admittedly, things can sometimes get very dumb. However, intelligence is relative, and just because one aspect of storytelling has been simplified doesn’t mean creativity and ingenuity have become entirely depleted. There is a challenge placed in the hands of “Motor City,” and that is to create inventive and engaging action set pieces, all while maintaining little to no dialogue. It’s a bold strategy, a risky one too, but it can emphasize the impressive showcase of these physical altercations with pure joy and adrenaline. This is sincerely felt, despite the narrative’s structure being somewhat thin.
In 1977, Detroit, John Miller (Alan Ritchson) is a parolee who has recently been released from his supervision. To celebrate, he proposes to his girlfriend, Sophia (Shailene Woodley), and is looking forward to their new life together; however, an unexpected complication arises. Sophia was previously the partner of Reynolds (Ben Foster), a powerful and highly connected gangster who has never gotten over such harsh rejection. Utilizing his influence over the police department, he employs a corrupt police officer to plant a heap of cocaine in his car to frame him. As Miller is sent to jail, Reynolds swoops in and manipulates Sophia back into his life. But Miller is not a man to take this kind of indignation willingly. He bides his time in prison, eventually escaping, and plotting a path of revenge that will lead back to Reynolds and his crew, and there will be gallons of blood spilled along the way.
Coming to this film for its riveting and complex storytelling will be a fool’s errand. The screenplay from Chad St. John is by no means a lackluster effort, but its indulgences are still fairly surface-level. This plot has a straightforward directive: to get this man out of prison and start dropping bodies until he works his way up to the ultimate baddie at the top of the food chain. It’s not a very sophisticated premise, and the writing isn’t meant to add any more ambition to this narrative. That is outside of any talking being almost completely excised, which is its own creative challenge. While it’s an intriguing tactic to deploy, it ultimately hinders one major aspect of the storytelling that the film doesn’t completely overcome. Not only do motivations have to be simplified, but so do scenes that advance the plot. Every bit of action needs to be succinct and to the point, which often highlights the thin construction of this narrative, and sometimes this can lead to tedium. Even if the story isn’t trying to be anything more than a straightforward revenge tale, the constraints still present limiting factors that stunt a more impactful emotional investment.
Still, it’s almost as if director Potsy Poncirolli completely understands where the script may falter and where the filmmaking must compensate. Even here, it’s not entirely infallible. To compensate for the lack of dialogue, a constant stream of music blares, whether it’s the booming original score or a parade of 1970s classics with a more rock-infused rendition baked into the track. It can become a bit overwhelming with the constant deluge, but soon attention is drawn to the absolutely invigorating action sequences. The first notable one is a daring prison escape that excitedly tracks Miller’s killing of a disgruntled guard to his crew arriving to rescue him in blazing glory. No doubt the highlight will be a scrape that takes place in an elevator. The confined space offers the most intense intimacy, and you feel every kick, every fall, every stab, and every slice. It’s violent, intense, gory, and sure to leave you cheering at the end. For Poncirolli, his efforts manage to craft a uniquely vibrant world that is constantly compelling.
Taking one look at Ritchson, you know this guy is literally built in the mold of an action hero. His hulking frame is so intimidating that there’s little else to conceive of him doing besides knocking heads and throwing punches. As he is literally the strong, silent type here, it’s a screen presence he perfectly captures. The depths of all these characters are not especially profound, but he attacks the role with the necessary physical conviction to be an impressive force of nature. The lack of dialogue does shackle Foster’s ability to truly go wild and ham it up even further, even if there are occasional outbursts or odd choices that give an inclination to this unpredictable monster (there’s one instance of him spinning a coffee cup that is just offbeat enough to be amusing). He looks the part in his gaudy outfit, and that’s enough for him to be engrossing. Even though Woodley is saddled with a regressive part of the suffering wife, she actually manages to make the role memorable enough with her own merits. There really isn’t much on the page for her to do. Still, with her expressive eyes and sultry outfits that often recall Jennifer Lawrence’s look in “American Hustle,” she brings a surprising amount of heart to the film, even if it is in a somewhat wasted role.
You’re not going to find much innovation when it comes to the story of “Motor City.” It’s intentionally meant to evoke a stripped-down perspective, reminiscent of a certain kind of grindhouse cinema. Profound thematic commentary with complex characters and inner lives is not really what this screenplay is trying to evoke. The results do not bear that out in the slightest. What is presented is a thoroughly entertaining joyride, gleefully gory in its celebration of primal desires for comeuppance to be delivered to those who commit grave sins. It’s a tale as old as time, but the filmmaking basks in its luxurious style as the performances do their best to create captivating portraits of their own. There may not be too much distinctiveness from what’s on the page outside of the lack of talking, but sometimes words fail. Action is needed, and this has more than enough to satisfy.
