San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the buzz was all about the future of superhero casting. David Jonsson was officially announced as the new Black Panther, a choice that had people talking since many expected Damson Idris. On top of that, Ryan Gosling is the next Ghost Rider, perfect casting. Fans have spent years claiming Gosling was born to play that character, much like Robert Downey Jr and Iron Man. All of that got me thinking about fan casting versus studio casting.
Let’s take Alan Ritchson, for instance. While casting discussions are always up to the directors, studios and producers, I am one of those people who thinks Alan Ritchson should be Batman in James Gunn’s DCU.
He has the physical presence, the look, and the presence required to play Bruce Wayne, and lately has also been quietly proving his broader acting range in different productions. To get an idea of his acting range, you only need to look at his latest film, Motor City.
Motor City is a fascinating piece of cinema because it strips away traditional dialogue, forcing you to follow the characters purely through their performance, expressions, editing and cinematography. I can only remember three lines of spoken dialogue in the entire runtime, with one line from the main female character and the other delivered by the villain at the end.
For all intents and purposes, this functions almost as a silent crime thriller with a sprinkle of action. That is not to mean that this is a non-stop John Wick-style film with action running from the second act to the credits. Based on the marketing and trailers, you might find yourself slightly surprised, almost disappointed. This is a slower film, and calling it a traditional action movie misses the point because the actual physical skirmishes are sparse.
If you spend time on the internet, this phrase should be familiar: ‘Yep, that’s me, you’re probably wondering how I got into this situation.’ Motor City is that film minus the dialogue. It kicks off with a brilliant sequence that immediately establishes the tone, builds the gritty feel of the world, and foreshadows the explosive final twenty minutes.
Once that opening hook settles, the film spends the first and second acts laying down the groundwork and character motivation that leads up to that final confrontation. You should not approach this film expecting a wall-to-wall firefight or standard modern action tropes, because it offers something not entirely different, just not what you expect as marketed in the trailers. But let’s take a step back, what exactly is this movie?
Motor City is a 2025 American action thriller film written by Chad St John and directed by Potsy Ponciroli. It stars Alan Ritchson alongside Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, Lionel Boyce, and Shailene Woodley. The plot follows John Miller, played by Alan Ritchson, who is an ex-con on a quest for revenge against a gangster played by Ben Foster.
The gangster framed Miller for a crime he never committed and stole his girlfriend, played by Shailene Woodley, all set against the backdrop of a colourful 1977 Detroit. Because spoken words are kept to an absolute minimum, the film relies heavily on a strong soundtrack, good direction, and performances.
The seventies
The art direction captures the look and feel of the late 1970s remarkably. They got the vintage cars right, which is important given that cars play a vital thematic and practical role in the narrative. The costume design, the period-accurate glasses, the moustaches and facial hair, and the overall wardrobe choices make the cast look like they were lifted straight out of a photograph from that era.
The movie also captures the authentic cultural habits of the time without feeling cartoonish. For anyone who grew up watching older generations, smoking cigarettes was a normal everyday part of life, and this film weaves that habit into the visual storytelling. Watching a character light a cigarette becomes a deliberate tool to convey tension and character state. Those period details, which also include a muted colour palette on the walls, interior apartment and car designs, make the title Motor City feel grounded to an era and place once you understand the industrial automotive history of America.
Another risk that somehow paid off is the near-total absence of dialogue. Modern audiences are usually spoon-fed exposition through endless on-the-nose dialogue, but this film sticks to the golden rule of showing rather than telling. With roughly 95 percent of the runtime devoid of dialogue, the soundtrack has to do the heavy lifting, and the music selection is nothing short of perfect, especially if you are into 70s music.
There is a prison sequence underscored by the Moody Blues track Nights in White Satin that is elevated by the choice of music. The movie fills its runtime with carefully picked needle drops that never feel obnoxious or overly stylised in the way modern comic-book movies tend to handle licensed tracks. Instead, the music acts as an emotional anchor, punctuating quiet moments and helping the audience absorb the narrative weight without the need for a character to spell it out.
The physical performances match this stylistic choice primarily because the actors cannot rely on long monologues. They communicate entirely through micro-expressions, posture, and heavy body language. But you never feel like the actors are exaggerating, and you can always tell what they are thinking based on their performances. Ben Foster does a phenomenal job portraying the primary antagonist, he is effective without the need to say anything. Alan Ritchson anchors the entire project with a grounded, physical performance that makes his quest for vengeance feel earned.
The film wisely keeps its runtime lean at around 90 minutes. It refuses to overstay its welcome, structuring its narrative efficiently through a proper setup, a slow-burn middle conflict, and a strong final act.
The elevator scene
That third act delivers one of the best action set pieces of the year. The elevator scene serves as the highlight of the entire production. It is brutal, messy, and painfully realistic, I mean, at some point you will look away. The tone shifts drastically in that elevator, changing how you view the entire movie up to that point. The cinematography inside the confined space gives you something to look at and sometimes allows your mind to fill in the rest, utilising realistic blood-splatter physics and stunt work to elevate the fight. I also appreciated the ending. Instead of taking the predictable route, the filmmakers pull off a conclusion that feels both satisfying and refreshingly different.
If there is any minor critique to level against the experience, it is that the film leaves you craving a bit more of that elevator fight. Since the first and second acts lean heavily into a slow-burn crime drama with minimal action, one or two intense action set pieces like the elevator scene could have gone a long way.
The plot is basic and easy to follow, predictable, even, and mainstream viewers might struggle with the lack of conventional conversation, but anyone walking in with the correct mindset will find plenty to enjoy. It is a moody crime drama masquerading as a silent movie.
Looking back at my earlier thoughts on franchise casting, there is a specific frame before the title card, shot from below, where Alan Ritchson stands near a sign, and for one brief second, you can clearly picture him suited up in a cape and cowl. Motor City is another film that proves Ritchson has the screen presence to carry a project, offering an artistic, stylish, and genuinely unique experience far from what is currently screening, which includes Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.