Motor City, directed by Potsy Ponciroli and starring Alan Ritchson, is being praised for its restrained, near-silent approach to storytelling in an era when action films increasingly over-explain their plots. Rather than relying on dialogue to spell out character motivations, backstories or relationships, the film conveys information through visual cues, allowing audiences to piece together the story themselves, an approach the reviewer argues distinguishes it favourably from more exposition-heavy blockbusters and Netflix action fare.

Ritchson's character, John Miller, speaks only one line in the entire film, a three-word sentence near the end, with the actor instead relying on body language and posture to convey emotion. Ponciroli extends this technique throughout the film, using props such as photographs, tattoos and newspaper clippings, alongside details like a nametag revealing Shailene Woodley's character's name, and contrasting office setups and clothing to indicate the relative rank of Pablo Schreiber's and Ben McKenzie's detective characters, all without explicit dialogue. The review likens this technique to films such as Mad Max: Fury Road, which similarly builds its world through visual storytelling rather than direct explanation.