Motor City

"Love will drive you mad."

2026 1h 44m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 124

ActionThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1970s Detroit, John Miller falls for a local gangster's girl and lands in prison for a crime he didn't commit. With his life ruined, Miller plots revenge against the man who took his girl away.

“Love will drive you mad.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Alan Ritchson
John Miller
Ben Foster
Reynolds
Shailene Woodley
Sophia
Lionel Boyce
Youngblood
Amar Chadha-Patel
Singh
Pablo Schreiber
Lieutenant Savick
Dominic Bogart
Porthos
Mister Fitzgerald
Aramis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Potsy Ponciroli
Writers: Chad St. John, Josh Sheppard, Bill Thompson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Potsy Ponciroli, shot by John Matysiak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Steve Jablonsky. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Galdo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Alan Ritchson and Ben Foster and Shailene Woodley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Love will drive you mad.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2012616 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Potsy Ponciroli directs. John Matysiak behind the camera. Steve Jablonsky scores. Joe Galdo cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
2Directed by Potsy Ponciroli, shot by John Matysiak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Steve Jablonsky. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Joe Galdo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Alan Ritchson and Ben Foster and Shailene Woodley carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Love will drive you mad.".
7IMDB entry: tt2012616 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Matysiak
Original score: Steve Jablonsky
Editing: Joe Galdo
Production design: Mayne Berke
Costume design: Amy Roth
Makeup / hair: Katie Middleton
VFX supervisor: Bernhard Kimbacher
Sound: Laurent Kossayan
Stunt coordinator: Doug Coleman
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Motor City (2026)

Also by

Potsy Ponciroli

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

The Fixate & Binge Podcast, w/ Joe Curdy2026-07-29
Alfred Hitchcock once declared that filmmakers "should only resort to dialogue when it is completely impossible to tell the story visually" and famously critiqued dialogue-heavy films as merely "photographs of people talking." However one approaches director Potsy Ponciroli's MOTOR CITY, one thing becomes immediately clear: this is a visual story that throws out the rulebook of more traditional action films. With nearly zero dialogue -- co-star Ben MacKenzie's character never utters a single word -- and an enviable 1970s soundtrack -- Ponciroli picks up Hitchcock's gauntlet and delivers a crowd-pleasing revenge actioner with one of the most talented casts working in Hollywood today. Brick shithouse Alan Ritchson fills the screen as John Miller with his hulking, brooding presence, carrying nuance like a kettlebell in scene after gloriously action-packed scene from beginning to end. His love interest -- Sophia (played by Shailene Woodley) oozes thoroughly believable onscreen chemistry with Ritchson. Their happy, blue-collar life is suddenly torn apart with a conspiracy to rival Alexander Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo. With telling flashbacks and a SERPICO-esque glimpse at police corruption in 1970s Detroit, what happens next will slake the thirst of any action fan, as Ponciroli's film rides hell for leather in a relentless and brutal sequence of revenge. Co-starring Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber and Lionel Boyce, and a cameo by Detroit's own Jack White (who serves as one of the 28 executive producers) -- MOTOR CITY confirms what most action films dare to risk: dialogue is optional when a filmmaker understands how to tell a story visually. MOTOR CITY is sure to divide critics -- and is likely doomed at the box office for the misfortune of being stuck between a rock and a hard place (released between THE ODYSSEY and SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY) -- yet one hopes it will build on a solid word-of-mouth success and excel once it moves to streaming. In a "less is more" approach to this revenge actioner -- which is precisely what made George Miller's MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and both of Jalmari Helander's much-loved Finnish SISU films so great -- MOTOR CITY gives audiences a visual feast without holding their hands. The principal cast offer standout performances -- especially in one memorable, entirely wordless seductive sequence between Woodley and Foster in a late-night coffee shop rendezvous. This is arguably Woodley's best work. Equally impressive, Ritchson cements himself as one of the most watchable actors in Hollywood today.
tender_buttkiss2026-08-30
★ 2/10
Make sure you put subtitles on while watching this one. You don't want to miss a thing!! Non stop fun!!

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