Bah gawd I never thought Michael Roskam’s Racer and the Jailbird would see the light of day, and yet here it is. First announced in 2016 and having made the festival rounds early last year, news on the reunion between Roskam and his Bullhead and The Drop star Matthias Schoenaerts has been non-existent. As if that pairing wasn’t exciting enough, the film would co-star Blue is the Warmest Colour’s Adele Exarchopoulos, making for, I’m just going to say it, the sexiest screen couple ever. There’s just no getting around that, and you can see it in the way they steam up the brand new trailer.
Fortunately, this trailer also has details on when we can expect the movie to land stateside, so I can mark it on the calendar. The story takes place against the backdrop of the racing world, and follows the heated love affair between a criminal and a race car driver, with Exarchopoulos as the latter. They could’ve swapped roles and I’d be just as happy.
Here’s the full synopsis: As a member of a notorious Brussels gang renowned for their expertly-executed robberies, Gigi (frequent Roskam collaborator Matthias Schoenaerts, The Danish Girl, Red Sparrow) tends to his front, a luxury automobile import-export business, in his downtime. Sparks fly when he meets glamorous and affluent race car driver Bibi (Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Color), and despite their wildly different backgrounds, the pair fall instantly and tragically in love. While Gigi attempts to break away from his illicit history, two things stand in the couple’s way to a happy life together: an unrelenting mob hungry for another heist, and the cops that are closing in on them.
Racer and the Jailbird opens May 4th. I can’t wait.
