Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- passionate
- brooding
- volatile
- intense date night
- arthouse crime night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an intensely performed but overextended crime romance whose melodramatic fatalism feels conventional and old-fashioned.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gino and Bénédicte’s passionate relationship is threatened by his concealed criminal life and inevitable imprisonment.
Gino hides the criminal reality that endangers Bénédicte and their relationship.
Bank robberies, armored trucks, racing culture, and high-contrast criminal tension give the film a propulsive noir-inflected visual identity.
The lovers’ unconditional passion is repeatedly opposed by fate, reason, personal weakness, and incarceration.
Films like Racer and the Jailbird, and why
The Place Beyond the Pines
crime romance, doomed passion, and tragic criminal underworld drama
Bullhead
stylized crime filmmaking, volatile masculinity, and morally compromised lovers
A Prophet
intense romantic melodrama entwined with organized crime and fatalism
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
European gangster romance driven by loyalty, secrecy, and tragic consequences
Movie Details
- Director
- Michaël R. Roskam
- Release Date
- 2017-10-04
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (200)
Cast
- Matthias Schoenaerts
- Adèle Exarchopoulos
- Éric De Staercke
- Jean-Benoît Ugeux
- Nabil Missoumi
- Fabien Magry
- Gianni La Rocca
- Thomas Coumans
- Nathalie Van Tongelen
- Anaëlle Potdevin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Racer and the Jailbird about?
- A fiercely devoted romance collides with the criminal life of a charismatic bank robber and the fatal consequences he cannot outrun.
- What is Racer and the Jailbird like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Racer and the Jailbird as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Racer and the Jailbird violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Racer and the Jailbird as brutal.
- What did critics think of Racer and the Jailbird?
- Critics broadly found the film an intensely performed but overextended crime romance whose melodramatic fatalism feels conventional and old-fashioned.
- Which films are like Racer and the Jailbird?
- Films with a similar feel include The Place Beyond the Pines, Bullhead, A Prophet, and The Beat That My Heart Skipped.
- How long is Racer and the Jailbird?
- Racer and the Jailbird runs 130 minutes.
- Where can I watch Racer and the Jailbird?
- In United States, Racer and the Jailbird streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
