The Race

From the suburbs of Paris, four small time crooks barely scraping by stumble into a far bigger game. Sami, Tacchini, Yaya and Kader pull off a botched late night caper, a mislaid plan that lands them in hot water with their boss Carlito. He sends them to Canada, not to retire, but to spy on his fiancee, hoping a long quiet spell will quiet the trouble they stirred up. Once across the Atlantic, a case of mistaken identity turns them into supposed professional killers. Suddenly their misfit crew is chasing a target they barely understand, blundering toward trouble and laughs.

Directed by Djamel Bensalah and released in 2002, The Race is a French action comedy drama built from a concept by Gilles Laurent. It mixes street level hustle with mistaken identity for a light crowd-pleaser.

Box office data for The Race is not publicly disclosed in available sources, and the film seems to have had a modest release rather than a wide international run.

No major awards or nominations are documented for this title. It did not become a staple of the awards circuit, and critics largely treated it as a light, disposable comedy rather than a prestige project.

Reception leaned toward the light side, with the film juggling caper energy, family ties, and loyalty under pressure. The central joke of mistaken identity keeps the tone buoyant, while the ensemble cast aims for warmth amid slapstick misfires.