There are cool action movies that pop up now, and then that embrace the genre while also innovating it. The new movie Motor City, starring Alan Ritchson and Shailene Woodley, is one of those movies. A slam-bang feature that our own Chris Bumbray caught at TIFF, Motor City boasts almost no dialogue while driving the action forward through big fight sequences that challenge the stars as well as the cast members Pablo Schreiber, Ben Foster, Lionel Boyce, and Ben McKenzie.
Motor City follows John Miller (Alan Ritchson), a blue-collar autoworker living in 1977 Detroit, who is framed as a drug dealer by a local gangster (Ben Foster) with designs on his girlfriend (Shailene Woodley), sparking a violent battle on the streets of the titular Motor City once he escapes prison.
I spoke with Ritchson. Foster and Woodley, who discussed Motor City ahead of its theatrical release. Alan Ritchson talked about the heavy stunt work, what it was like acting opposite Pablo Schreiber (with whom he has a killer fight sequence) and Ben Foster, and landing musician Jack White to compile the soundtrack, which is full of classic seventies needle drops, suiting the period setting. Shailene Woodley talked about figuring out how to play her character and how freeing it was to perform with little dialogue. Ben Foster talked about his iconic villain roles and whether his facial hair did most of the acting for him. Check out the full interview in the embed above.
Motor City opens in theaters on July 24th. While the fact that it’s silent might make it a hard sell for some, the action cooked up by director Potsy Ponciroli (Old Henry) is potent, showcasing hulking Reacher star Ritchson at his best – more so than any of his other features to date. It’s well worth checking out!
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