The Racer is a 2020 sports drama film. The film stars Louis Talpe, Matteo Simoni, Tara Lee, Iain Glen and Karel Roden.

The Racer
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKieron J. Walsh
Written by
  • Ciaran Cassidy
  • Kieron J. Walsh
Produced by
  • Yvonne Donohoe
  • Katie Holly
Starring
CinematographyJames Mather
Edited by
  • Mathieu Depuydt
  • Nico Poedts
Music byHannes De Maeyer
Production
companies
  • Blinder Films
  • Calach Films
  • Caviar Films
Distributed byGravitas Ventures
Release dates
  • 13 March 2020 (2020-03-13) (SXSW)
  • 9 September 2020 (2020-09-09) (Belgium)
  • 11 December 2020 (2020-12-11) (Ireland)
Running time
95 minutes
Countries
  • Ireland
  • Luxembourg
  • Belgium
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Dutch
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese
  • Irish

Cast edit

  • Louis Talpe as Dominique "Dom" Chabol
  • Matteo Simoni as Lupo "Tartare" Marino
  • Tara Lee as Dr. Lynn Brennan
  • Iain Glen as Sonny McElhone
  • Karel Roden as Viking
  • Timo Wagner as Stefano Drago
  • Diogo Cid as Enzo
  • Ward Kerremans as Lionel Dardonne
  • Paul Robert as Erik Schultz

Production edit

In 2018, a film centering around the 1998 Tour de France, titled The Domestique and to be directed by Kieron J. Walsh and written by Ciarán Cassidy, was announced. Production was taken over by Blinder Films, with the movie receiving €800,000 funding through Screen Ireland, the Irish state development agency.[1] The film has since been renamed The Racer and secured funding from Screen Flanders, the Film Fund Luxembourg, Eurimages, the BAI Sound & Vision Fund, and RTÉ.[2]

Release edit

It was scheduled to premiere at the 2020 South by Southwest, but was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, it was showcased in June 2020, at the Cannes online Marché du Film.[3]

Reception edit

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Racer isn't always in top gear, but strong acting and sleek cinematography get this look behind the scenes of the professional bicycling world past the finish line."[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ Shortall, Eithne (22 July 2018). "Tour de Dopage film The Domestique passes test for Screen Ireland funding". The Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  2. ^ Clarke, Stewart (29 July 2019). "First Look at 1998 Tour de France Film 'The Racer'". Variety. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  3. ^ Dalton, Ben (17 June 2020). "Irish cycling drama 'The Racer' signs North American deal, releases first trailer". ScreenDaily.
  4. ^ "The Racer". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  5. ^ "The Racer Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2022.

External links edit