Motor City is a revenge film that tells its story exclusively through imagery and a creative blend of 1970s songs. The film is set in 1976 Detroit and follows John Miller, a Vietnam veteran working in a factory to make ends meet for him and his girlfriend, Sophia.
The Story
When John met Sophia, he helped her get away from an abusive relationship with Reynolds, a big-time drug dealer with many members of law enforcement in his pocket. Unfortunately, Reynolds is able to easily frame John by having several kilos of cocaine planted in his car, getting him sent to prison for twenty-five years.
Sophia, left alone, broke and dismayed, finds her way back into Reynolds’ arms, something he taunts John about. John’s answer: Get his Army buddies, Youngblood and Singh, to help him break out of prison so he can rescue Sophia from Reynolds’ clutches.
A Unique Film
What makes Motor City unique is the fact that this is a film that’s virtually without dialogue. Director Potsy Ponciroli has created an astounding mixtape music video of a film, able to tell its story through imagery punctuated with a creative blend of 1970s songs.
The images that drive Motor City are pure, raw, and violent. Ponciroli and cinematographer John Matysiak have given their film an old school grindhouse feel and aesthetic without shoving the fact at you, going all “Look at what we’re doing!”
To pull off such a trick as this and do it so successfully, where the story is clear without the aid of dialogue or narration, is an absolute cinematic feat. Not just by the filmmakers behind the camera, but also by the cast who essentially pull off a feature-length pantomime and do it quite brilliantly.
Original reporting: KCCI Des Moines — read the source article.
