Critic Reviews

The Racer will attract fans of cycling and those who enjoy a good drama, as it’s a fresh take on the sports drama formula.

Talpe is excellent in the lead, his tightly-honed physique an increasingly transparent veneer for his troubled emotional state.

What the film does very well is show how doping became so normalised. It’s as much a part of the team’s routine as a post-race rubdown.

It is a strong, stoic performance from Talpe in a film that doesn’t allow its secondary characters much nuance.

There is some nice insight into cycling-team practices, but overall The Racer lacks sufficient nuance, specificity and originality to nab the yellow jersey.