Racer and the Jailbird [Le Fidèle] ** (2017, Matthias Schoenaerts, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Jean-Benoît Ugeux, Kerem Can, Sam Louwyck, Stefaan Degand) – Movie Review 

Matthias Schoenaerts stars as high-flying low-life Brussels gangster Gigi, who is introduced to young upper-class racing driver Bibi (Adèle Exarchopoulos) by her brother at a party.

Gigi hits on Bibi at once. Bibi is charmed. They agree to meet again in a fortnight, and Gigi is to bring no flowers. Bibi is understandably suspicious, but when he keeps his side of the pact, she completely falls for him.

Soon, it turns out that, lying, thieving low-life though he is, his love for her is true. He is faithful. But these robberies he is carrying out as part of a chummy sort of tough gang are getting in the way of their love and happiness, and soon it is threatening to wipe it out altogether.

Co-writer/ director Michaël R Roskam’s Racer and the Jailbird [Le Fidèle] starts promisingly and proceeds well for its first two sections, then loses the plot in its final segment. Actually, it would be good if he lost his third-act plot, and simply found an entirely different one. That is one with credibility and appeal.

Schoenaerts and Exarchopoulos give first-rate performances, sexy and ingratiating, and Michaël R Roskam handles the film with much urgency, emotion and style. But, unfortunately, he can’t really expect anyone to believe a word of it.

The movie plays like a thriller, or a crime drama, with a couple of powerfully staged, quite exciting robbery heist sequences. But it is actually a love story. The question  is, will love find a way or will it be a tragic love story? If it is tragic, it will only be so like Romeo and Juliet is, wildly romantic.

Somewhere here, not too far away, is a really good movie. But, alas, for all the good and hard work, this isn’t it. Roskam just loses it, lets it fall out his fumbling hands through his fingers. It’s only a script problem – Roskam, Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré needed a big fat re-write. The shame is the poor stuff is all at the end of the movie, so you come away in a poor mood from it, almost forgetting the good stuff at the start and in the middle.

But, and there is a but, the film is original and unique, however wayward it becomes. There is something of the brave folly about it. And, for this, it is worth a little look and some respect. And certainly that is also true for the two main actors too. They are hard to take your eyes away from, a little bit mesmerising, actually.

Co-writer/ director Michaël R Roskam.

Roskam also directed the 2014 The Drop, which shares its same gloomy tone and crime atmosphere but has a higher success score as a story. His first feature, Bullhead (2011), also starred Schoenaerts.

Racer and the Jailbird is not a good title, by the way, clumsy and totally unmemorable.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Movie Review 

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