Alan Ritchson shares a new tease about Motor City, addressing just how brutal the upcoming action movie is. Directed by Potsy Ponciroli, Motor City stars Ritchson as Miller, a man who embarks on a quest for revenge against a local gangster in 1970s Detroit after being framed for a crime he didn’t commit.
Premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival, the movie also stars Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, and Lionel Boyce. The film will arrive as Ritchson’s star power continues to grow due to his starring role in Prime Video’s action-packed Reacher series.
During a recent interview with Variety, Ritchson teases that audiences can expect a considerable amount of brutality in Motor City, particularly in the third act as Miller is put through the ringer. Ritchson teases that another upcoming film, however, takes things even further. Check out his comment below:
It’s up there! It’s probably a nine. But in my the next movie, “Runner” that I sH๏τ with Owen Wilson, it goes even further if you can believe it. It’s important to me that people understand this when they come watch one of my movies. There’s no fight count here. I’ve got friends in the business for whom every punch is worth a point. They can’t be defeated. But that sh*t doesn’t fly in my camp!
What This Means For Motor City
Marking a unique decision, Motor City features only four lines of dialogue. Miller, clearly, is a man of action, and this sets the character apart from Jack Reacher, who often has a fair amount of witty dialogue as he walks his companions through the ins and outs of a case.
Reacher‘s success has helped to propel Ritchson to action hero status on the small screen, but Motor City represents an opportunity for him to make more of a mark in the world of movies. Though Ritchson did appear as part of the sprawling cast of Fast X (2023), he was far from front and center in this Fast & Furious movie.
First reactions to Motor City should arrive this week following the film’s Venice premiere, which will provide a better idea of whether the film will be a crowd-pleaser or not. If it is, the stage is set for Runner to further cement Ritchson’s place as a movie action hero.
Runner hails from director Scott Waugh, who directed poorly received movies like Act of Valor (2012), Need for Speed (2014), Hidden Strike (2023), and The Expendables 4 (2023). The plot revolves around a high-end courier attempting to transport a liver across Australia. It’s unclear whether Runner will break Waugh’s disappointing trend, but Ritchson’s comment affirms that it will be a violent affair.
Our Take On Ritchson’s Motor City Comments
In the ’80s, it was popular for action heroes to dish out a great deal of punishment, often killing hordes of enemies while barely suffering a scratch. Die Hard (1988) largely changed this, with Bruce Willis’ John McClane representing more of an everyman who sustains a great number of injuries in his fight against Hans Gruber.
Ritchson’s physique separates him from being too much of a McClane-type figure, but the fact that Miller will be taking a great deal of punishment in Motor City will hopefully make him even more of a character worth rooting for. If Miller takes a beating throughout the movie, it could also make his eventual victory all the more satisfying.
