Directed by Potsy Ponciroli, starring Alan Ritchson, Ben Foster, and Shailene Woodley
The Count of Monte Cristo can suck a chrome bumper next to Motor City, the new near-silent movie from director Potsy Ponciroli about a man framed for a crime and fights tooth and nail to get his fiance back. It's all 70's style and music with Reacher star Alan Ritchson sporting several shaggy wigs before cutting down those locks to murder fools with shotgun shells full of loose change and an engagement ring. Hell hath no fury like a motherf**ker with nothing to lose.
A lot of folks are saying this is a gimmick movie as it chugs along with little to no dialog. Maybe, but it works. Sure the 70s tunes blaring out of 8-tracks are overused, but they work in context rather than just filler. The silence of the stars allows for your attention to be forced on the screen and follow the actual acting rather than everyone limping on cool one liners.
Following Ritchson, we see how he "saved" the woman he loves (Woodley) from her creepy gangster boyfriend (Foster) only to have Foster work with dirty cops to throw Ritchson in jail and hook Woodley on drugs so she can't leave again. Most films would start there, but there's an enjoyable hour where we see the drama unfold. We follow a good cop who uncovers the frame job. We follow Foster snare Woodley in his trap. It's always great to see Foster, one of the most underrated actors of the last twenty years. By all rights he should be picking his roles but he excells in dirty little movies like this where he can chew scenery as a slimy bastard.
The relationship between Ritchson and Woodley felt earned as well. I'll give a spoiler that it does not end well, but she's a vision in this. Ponciroli decks her out in gold, from her hair to her party dresses to the waitress outfit to a shower. When Ritchson looks at her, we see the treasure she is even when she waffles about the frame job. She's the victim of the story, and we watch her bounce through attempting to find joy for herself.
In the end, it's all about the bullets and blood. The rampage begins with a prison break and a candy knife and ends with two men looking at each other after a long life of violence. One says "I loved her." The other says "I still do." End with a shotgun.
Check this one out.