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Slaying the Badger

Name: Slaying the Badger
Director: John Dower
Released: 2014
Duration: 77 min

Representation Score

2.1/10

Limited

2014

TV-G

Director

John Dower

Runtime

77 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Slaying the Badger is a focused character study of competitive excellence and interpersonal betrayal. It deconstructs the myth of professional camaraderie within the high-stakes world of the Tour de France. However, the film operates within a very traditional demographic and gendered framework. The narrative is confined to a specific historical and cultural context, prioritizing the rivalry between two white male athletes. While the film offers a cynical critique of institutionalized cooperation, it lacks broader progressive representation, focusing strictly on the individualistic pursuit of glory within a narrow social lens.

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Category Breakdown

Does Slaying the Badger have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on the hyper-masculine environment of 1980s professional cycling. There are no LGBTQ+ characters or narratives addressing non-straight relationships.

How does Slaying the Badger portray gender?

Limited

The documentary centers on a male-dominated sporting landscape. It reinforces traditional masculine traits like dominance and physical strength without challenging gendered hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Slaying the Badger?

Limited

The narrative is grounded in the Eurocentric world of mid-1980s cycling. The primary figures are white athletes navigating a predominantly white, Western sporting institution.

How does Slaying the Badger represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film critiques the myth of teamwork in cycling, framing unwritten codes of honor as transactional. It remains anchored in Western sporting traditions.

Does Slaying the Badger include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence that the film addresses physical or neurodivergent disabilities. Characters with disabilities are not utilized as plot devices.

Present on Screen

Provides a nuanced critique of the 'teamwork' myth in professional sports.
Offers deep psychological insight into the friction between individual ability to act and institutional expectations.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Does not introduce diverse perspectives beyond the central white protagonists.
Reinforces traditional masculine traits rather than challenging gendered hierarchies.

Official Synopsis

Before Lance Armstrong, there was Greg LeMond, who is now the first and only American to win the Tour de France. In this engrossing documentary, LeMond looks back at the pivotal 1986 Tour, and his increasingly vicious rivalry with friend, teammate, and mentor Bernard Hinault. The reigning Tour champion and brutal competitor known as “The Badger,” Hinault ‘promised’ to help LeMond to his first victory, in return for LeMond supporting him in the previous year. But in a sport that purports to reward teamwork, it’s really every man for himself.

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