Keanu Reeves, star of the universally beloved John Wick franchise, may be the current king of cinematic action, but Alan Ritchson could very easily be considered Reeves’ streaming counterpart. The Blue Mountain State fan favorite became a household name thanks to Prime Video’s Reacher, the smash-hit action thriller series where he brought Lee Child‘s iconic character to life in a way even the great Tom Cruise couldn’t. With a fourth season about to premiere (as well as an already-confirmed Season 5), and spin-off Neagley not far behind, Reacher has easily made a name for itself as not just one of streaming’s most popular shows, but as one of the biggest names in action, period.
Ritchson conquered Netflix earlier this year with the sci-fi epic War Machine, which became one of the streamer’s biggest hit films of all time. That movie’s success earned its sequel an easy green light, even though the film was merely a decent action romp with some wacky action and a big killer alien mech. However, Ritchson’s new action movie, Motor City, takes a much more original approach to the revenge genre — and takes that Reeves comparison even farther, with its focus on a kinetic hero who speaks with his fists instead of words. While not all of its punches land (especially toward the end), the ones that do pack a wallop.
What Is ‘Motor City’ About?
Ritchson is ex-convict John Miller, who is riding high on life in 1970s-era Detroit — his parole is coming to an end, and he’s ready to propose to his longtime girlfriend Sophia (Shailene Woodley). However, when a ghost from his past returns for revenge, John is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and ends up sentenced to several decades in prison. Eventually, the torment grows to be too much, leading John to plan a prison break, and find those responsible for destroying his life and taking his beloved Sophia from him.
At first glance, that all sounds like a typical revenge story, and in a lot of ways, it is. But here’s where Motor City deviates into some really interesting territory: There are less than a dozen lines of audible dialogue in the entire film. Everything else is either expressed purely through actions, or the words are blocked off by a window or some other creative device. This puts a lot of pressure on Ritchson — not to mention Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, and Lionel Boyce — to convey their characters’ thoughts and emotions through visuals alone, and they all practically nail it.
The near-complete absence of dialogue also puts a great deal of pressure on Motor City‘s sound design and soundtrack, both of which are top-notch. For the former, director Potsy Ponciroli has a lot of fun playing with the sonic menu, from deafening explosions to quiet reprieves. As for the latter, Motor City offers a Guardians of the Galaxy-level mix tape of needle drops that all hit.The music does a lot of heavy lifting and adds gravitas to many sequences, though a few moments feel stretched out longer than they should be just so an entire song can play through.
Motor City’s Action Sequences Are Worthy of Alan Ritchson’s Name
One thing about Motor City that doesn’t always hit, however, is the Zack Snyder-amount of slow-motion. On most occasions, it looks pretty cool, but at other times, it feels fairly uncalled-for.
Thankfully, these slow motion moments usually occur during a cool action sequence. Motor City takes quite a bit of time to get to its action-packed climax, but thankfully, it’s one that has more than a few standout sequences, the biggest of which has to be a no-holds-barred duel in an elevator that makes excellent use of a lot of wacky camera angles and concepts — all of which, again, do so without any dialogue.
The finale itself has a lot of fun moments, but unfortunately, the actual ending is pretty ridiculous. Not in the campy, funny, ridiculous way you might anticipate based on the rest of the film, but a weird left turn into corny territory that just doesn’t mesh with Motor City‘s prior tone or style. Where most of the movie’s physical comedy has its audience laughing with it, this ending is so absurd that many will likely be laughing at it.
Alan Ritchson Carries ‘Motor City’ Through Some Plot Holes and Inconsistencies
Motor City is a thrill ride that has some janky turns and bumps, but the bulk of it is a smooth journey that has some really interesting things to say without saying a word. Sure, the revenge story itself doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the no-dialogue approach and emphasis on sound and visuals make it even closer to the Buster Keaton movies that the John Wick franchise repeatedly pays homage to. It feels like another logical step in Ritchson’s career as an action superstar, and one that will undeniably recruit even more of a dedicated following.
Motor City debuts in theaters on Friday, July 24, 2026.
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
- Runtime
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103 Minutes
- Director
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Potsy Ponciroli
- Writers
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Chad St. John
- Producers
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Greg Silverman, Jon Berg, Chad St. John, Cliff Roberts, Joshua Harris
- The no-dialogue approach is unique and very fun.
- Another great leading performance from Alan Ritchson.
- Most of the action is top notch.
- An incredible soundtrack.
- The constant music and slow-mo makes some scenes too long.
- There’s some glaring plot holes and inconsistencies.
- The ending is very silly.
