Motor City cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Alan Ritchson 1970s revenge thriller 

Detroit in the 1970s wasn’t just cars and Motown records, it was a city with a pulse as raw and restless as the men who walked its streets and Motor City, from director Potsy Ponciroli, drops us straight into that world. The stripped-down revenge thriller hands the wheel to Alan Ritchson as the lead, and seeing his work in previous action projects, we're in for a treat.

This isn’t your average gritty crime drama drowned in monologues. The film famously runs on almost no dialogue at all, letting bruised faces, clenched fists, and a pounding 70s soundtrack do all the talking. Alongside Ritchson, you’ve got Shailene Woodley and Ben Foster filling out a cast that looks as dangerous as it does magnetic. Here's everything you need to know about them.

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Who plays whom in Motor City?

Alan Ritchson as John Miller

Alan Ritchson leads the film as John Miller, a mechanic from Detroit who is falsely accused and then jailed by an influential crime lord.

The actor is no stranger to action roles in Hollywood. Ritchson is known for his work on Prime Video's Reacher since 2022. Apart from that, he has starred in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Lazer Team and Fast X.

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Shailene Woodley as Sophia

Shailene Woodley plays Miller's girlfriend Sophia, who is all ready to start a life with him before tragedy strikes and he is sent to jail. She is at the very heart of the conflict between Miller and the crime lord, as the latter is her ex partner.

Woodley is known for her role as Hazel Grace Lancaster in The Fault in Our Stars Beatrice Prior in The Divergent Series. She also has been nominated for an Emmy for her work on Big Little Lies.

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Ben Foster as Reynolds

The antagonist of Motor City is Reynolds, played by Ben Foster. He's a gangster who is obsessed with Woodley's Sophia and plots against Ritchson's John Miller to get her back. He drives the narrative with his criminal mind and vicious danger, a worthy opponent to Ritchson's character.

Foster's notable works include The Punisher, X-Men: The Last Stand, Alpha Dog, 30 Days of Night, The Messenger, Pandorum, The Mechanic, Contraband, Kill Your Darlings, Lone Survivor, The Program and Warcraft.

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The supporting cast of Motor City

Joining the lead of these three are five more stars with unspecified specifications of their roles in the film, but who would surely contribute well to the action in the film. These are:

Pablo Schreiber as Savick

Ben McKenzie as Kent

Lionel Boyce as Youngblood

Amar Chadha-Patel as Singh

Rafael Cebrián as Athos

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Motor City does not have a release date yet, but the film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2025.