The Day of the Jackal (1973) User Reviews

I don't think I've ever heard of a political killer in this country. It's not our style, is it?

[lastliberal-853-253708 · 8/10 · 18 February 2012]

You watch the Bruce Willis version of the Jackal and you think that is so cool, but you don't know cool until you see Edward Fox do it.

Fox is the epitome of cool. The guy even wears an ascot, for god's sake! Most people today don't even know what an ascot is. He carefully plots his moves and is methodical in his precision. He kills with cool detachment. If he had Willis' assignment, he would have gotten it done.

But, he had to deal with the European versions of the CIA/FBI and they were not restrained in how they handled investigations. With just a thread, the French police inspector carefully puts together a case with as much precision as his prey. It was a game of cat and mouse that kept you on the edge of your seat for two and a half hours without noticing the time.

That is because of director Fred Zinnemann and the fact that he kept things moving along beautifully.

If you want to see how a thriller is done with craft and cunning and without special effects, then this is the film for you.

One of the finest thrillers ever made

[dgriffiths · 9/10 · 15 May 2001]

The opening five minutes of the film are a marvel. Almost completely devoid of dialogue the scenes portray visually more story than most modern thrillers can fit into two hours. This is about the best book-to-film conversion I've ever seen. The cuts, where they are made, are logical and some locations are combined. From Forsyth's first, and probably best book (written in less than 5 weeks) this film contains nothing that does not drive the story forward. The character of the Jackal is brilliantly finely drawn. He doesn't contain any of the cliches that you would expect to see in a film written in the last twenty years (he doesn't display mental instability, or have flashbacks to some event in his past). He never tries to justify his pernicious occupation to anyone yet, strangely, doesn't come across as an evil man. Simply as a professional doing his job. The French police inspector is wonderfully underplayed and is as far away from the he-breaks-the-rules-but-he-gets-the-job-done cliche as you can possibly imagine. He is first seen attending to his pigeons and upon being told he is being put on the case simply says "Oh God..."....

Zimmemann's direction is great and the scenes are beautifully photographed - particularly in Paris.

This is an all-time great film. Definitely in my top ten. I suppose I must put something in negative so it makes for a balanced review so errr.... I think the French minister is wearing a very bad wig. Beyond that -marvelous.

Fine international crime thriller.

[rmax304823 · 8/10 · 24 January 2007]

Fred Zinneman, the director, has put out some pretty low brow stuff, like "High Noon," but it's all done with craftsmanship. This one is just about the opposite of "High Noon," a thriller in which not a moment is wasted. Everything that happens is relevant to the plot and concise. Not only is the movie built around direct cuts from one scene to another distant one, the cuts are made on actions, sometimes actions that are only half completed. You have to keep your eyes open. If you blink at the wrong time, for instance, you're liable to miss the way Edward Fox gets hold of Per Lindquist's Danish passport.

It's a battle of wits between the hired, cold-blooded assassin (Fox) who is out to kill Charles DeGaulle, and the team of French detectives and generals who are out to stop him. Fox eludes them with invention and foresight but detective in charge (Lonsdale) doggedly track him down. I don't suppose it's giving much away to reveal that Fox does not succeed in assassinating DeGaulle, since all interested parties must already know that DeGaulle died of a heart attack. (The headlines of the Philadelphia Examiner were unforgettable -- "DeGaulle Keels Over," later amended to "DeGaulle Drops Dead.") The movie spells out the details by which Fox acquires his different identities and how and why he changes them. If you don't know how to get a false passport, watch this and find out. There are a lot of characters in this movie and a lot of locations but not once are we confused about what's happening or why. It's a splendid script. The acting is professional all around. David Hardwicke is tucked away in a small part. Michael Lonsdale as the detective has the proper proletarian face and modest demeanor. Fox has the necessary Saville Row certainty. And what a life he leads! Driving around the Riviera and the Maritime Alps in his sporty Alfa Romeo convertible, lodging in the finest hotels, boffing the elegant but foolish Delphine Seyrig, earning a cool half million for one job -- and this in the days when the dollar was worth something, murdering anyone who gets in his way. The kind of life any normal person would give an arm and a leg to lead.

And it all goes down as smoothly as a draught of Pepto Bismol. There is only one brief exchange of gunfire at the end. There are no fist fights or assaults. Fox kills a couple of people in the course of his journey but they're all over quickly, sometimes off screen or in shadows. Nobody loses his or her temper. No one shouts at anyone else. The humor, and there ARE a few amusing moments, is subdued.

If I were teaching a class in film appreciation I would show Zinneman's version back to back with the more recent "The Jackal" with Richard Gere and Bruce Willis. The final exam would consist of one question. "Which did you prefer?" Then I would flunk everybody who chose the later version.

Bruce Willis changes his identity in a whimsical way. In every scene he seems to wear a different wig or something. Fox assumes only three false identities, an English tourist, a Danish schoolteacher, and a French veteran. And we understand precisely why he MUST change identities. Fox's murder weapon is a cleverly constructed .22 caliber rifle, a stark miniature. Willis's murder weapon is a gigantic cannon that looks capable of taking out a tank or maybe a battleship. Everything in the later film is both overblown and sloppy, a Gongoristic mess. Compared to the Willis/Gere film, Zinneman's "High Noon" was an exercise in sophistication. My God, what's happening to us?

great

[billsav57 · 9 February 2004]

This is just a masterpiece. It is probably the prime example of how the film industry did such a better job with movies of this genre 30 and 40 years ago. I was comparing and contrasting this with the original "The Manchurian Candidate," both films dealing with assassination, but taking totally different paths -- one with a brainwashed assassin, the other with a coolly professional one. But in comparing this film with more-modern films -- including the remake of this one -- it's amazing how everyone involved 30 or 40 years ago used dialog, character development, fantastic cinematography and other such tools to craft an incredibly complex and tense work. You might have trouble remembering one actor from this film, but you can't forget their characterizations. Nowadays, it's nothing but special effects. Everyone got a lot more for their money in the era when this film was made.

Superlative stuff

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 25 June 2011]

To put it simply, DAY OF THE JACKAL is THE thriller of the 1970s. With nary a car chase or shoot out in sight, it manages to cram as much excitement into its running time as the entire BOURNE trilogy thanks to the combined wonder of expert direction and a faultless script. Highly detailed and never less than compelling, this film follows the exploits of a professional assassin about to embark on his biggest job yet – and we follow him every painstaking step of the way.

Fox – entirely chilling and somehow commendable, despite his ultra ruthlessness – is a lead you almost (but not quite) want to win out come the end, purely because of his professionalism and his attention to detail. Michael Lonsdale works well as the detective cast opposite him, always human and likable, but the real winner is the script/directorial combo. Like SOUTHERN COMFORT, it's a film to keep you guessing until the final nail-biting moments and dare I say it, there's never a dull moment. An outstanding and exceptional piece of film-making.

How did he miss?

[dgrahamwatson · 10/10 · 13 November 2005]

Some movies just ooze with class and "The day of the Jackal" is an example of such a film. It's one of those movies that you never seem to get bored watching. Even if you know what's going to happen and the the thrill and tension is taken out, it's still a fascinating watch. The documentary style format and no music score (which is so important in many movies) does not in any way detract from the atmosphere that is created by Zinnerman.

The casting of Edward Fox was a crucial decision because he was believable as the Jackal who effortlessly portrays himself as very thorough, cool, methodical, professional assassin who is never flustered. Yet he is also a ruthless cold blooded killer who has no problem disposing with anybody who appears to get in his way, might compromise his cover or is simply just in the wrong place at the wrong time - - - you see it's nothing personal! From the slimy forger right up to the French police officer at the end I counted five murders ( I'm presuming the old woman he karate chopped at the end was killed).

In addition he does not appear threatening nor intimidating to anybody, he just blends and does not draw attention to himself.This would explain why he is able to take people into is confidence. (unlike Bruce Willis who has assassin written all over his face in the 1997 version). The Jackal looks relaxed and classy as Caltrop, an irritated tourist as Duggan, a nervous limp wrist-ed school teacher from Denmark and a very tired WWW I cripple. All of them are believable characters which he plays during the film and none of them look like assassins.

The movie moves at a good pace and in all honesty defies it's two and half hour status, the atmosphere is created by the back ground noise of the environment not the music score and of course that changes from England, France and Italy which of course provides great cinematography throughout the movie.The support cast are also very good in their respective roles but particular praise has to go to the Jackals arch nemesis Lebel played by Michael Lonsdale ( who was Drax in the Bond Movie Moonraker) who despite some near misses and some gut wrenching setbacks eventually corners the Jackal. He is not fooled by a war veteran who appears to be a cripple.

This is an interesting point because what the movie does well is show how difficult it was for a lone assassin to elude various agencies and law enforcement authorities from interpol when the word is out to apprehend him. This would be particularly prevalent in post WWW II France and continental Europe where identity papers are compulsory and the power of the state far more intrusive than in other countries. Today with Email, cell phones, internet, satellite surveillance and CCTV cameras which are everywhere today it would make the work of the jackal that much harder to pull off.

The Jackal had a chance to bail out when the mission was compromised but decided to push on despite knowing that the odds were increasingly being stacked against him. ( In theory he did pull it off, if he had not been careless with his shot on DeGaulle, although he would not have got away). Lastly, the ending had a nice touch , the viewer did not know who the Jackal was, he was not Caltrop, the irate flat owner at the end, he certainly was not Duggan we knew that — where did he come from? He was laid to rest in an unmarked paupers grave. A mystery for the viewer at the end!

Suspenseful, Wonderfully Straightforward Thriller

[Hancock_the_Superb · 9/10 · 17 August 2007]

1963, France. French President Charles De Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand) has decided, after a popular referendum, to allow the North African nation of Algeria independence from France. This action leads to the death of hundreds of French residence in Algeria and bloody conflict which extends to Europe, as disgruntled French army officers form the OAS, a terrorist group which strives to assassinate De Gaulle. After a failed attempt on the President's life, the leaders of the OAS are tried and executed, and the organization is in tatters. The surviving leaders of the OAS hire a professional assassin (Edward Fox), codenamed the Jackal, to assassinate De Gaulle. Using a bewildering array of disguises, false passports, and other tricks, the Jackal works his way through Europe, being tracked by a frantic French bureaucracy led by milquetoast Police Commissioner Lebel (Michael Lonsdale). It's up to Lebel to find and stop the Jackal before August 25th, Liberation Day, when the assassin will make his move.

Based on the gripping if very long novel by Frederick Forsyth, Fred Zinneman's "Day of the Jackal" is one of the best of its genre. It succeeds largely because, as Roger Ebert said, "it knows exactly what it's talking about". Though fictional, the film's look and feel gives it an air of authenticity that few, if any, other thrillers could hope to match. The film has an almost documentary air about it, which is one of the major reasons it is so successful.

Much of the credit is due to director Fred Zinneman. Despite having a lengthy career making such classics as "High Noon", "From Here to Eternity", and "A Man for All Seasons", Zinneman is generally overlooked when it comes to great directors. Certainly, it's understandable why. Zinneman's films typically do not contain much in the way of flair or flash, at least when it comes to photography. Zinneman's direction is straightforward, unpretentious, with no fancy camera angles: he allows the script, sets, actors, and action on screen to do the work. This might not be the accomplished method of film making, but it works wonders in Zinneman's best films, particularly here. The lack of stylization creates the aforementioned feel that this story could happen in real life.

Other elements contribute to the film's success. The lengthy, in-depth, and almost labyrinthine source novel is reduced by screenwriter Kenneth Ross into succinct, economic dialog which conveys as much information with as little verbiage as possible. Georges Delerue's score functions much the same as his work in Zinneman's "A Man for All Seasons". There is little actual music, other than diegetic music from marching bands or street musicians, which adds immeasurably the look and feel of the movie.

What makes or breaks the film, however, is the cast, and this film is truly unique in its acting. The film recruits a huge, very talented cast of actors from both sides of the English Channel, and every performance is wonderfully understated, free of histrionics or theatricality, which makes the film all the more believable.

Edward Fox is marvelous in the title role. He plays the assassin as the ultimate detached professional; unconcerned about politics or individuals, he simply does his job and does it well. He can be counted on for results. He is neither arrogant nor cocky, just an expert who knows what he's doing and will go any length to achieve it. Fox is completely, utterly, and chillingly believable as the Jackal, and one is torn between rooting for him to succeed or for him to get caught.

Also fantastic is the Jackal's nemesis, Commissioner Lebel, who is played in an equally understated performance by Michael Lonsdale. Lebel is not an action hero, nor particularly exciting; he is a no-frills, straightforward police inspector who uses his brains, intuition, skill, and more than a bit of luck to track down the Jackal. Lonsdale and Fox give two of the most utterly believable performances ever captured on film, a testament to both actors.

The rest of the cast follows suit, although few of the other characters have as much screen time. Cyril Cusack plays the charming gunsmith who builds the Jackal's perfect weapon; Delphine Seyrig is a middle-aged Frenchwoman who begins an ill-advised affair with the assassin; Derek Jacobi is Lebel's dedicated assistant; Tony Britton as the crusty Scotland Yard investigator who gives Lebel his first break in the case; Jean Martin and Eric Porter play the desperate OAS members forced to hire an outsider to do their dirty work. These are just a few of the many fine performers in the film, and all give well-rounded, believable performances.

"The Day of the Jackal" is a brilliant thriller that still holds up well almost 35 years later. By capturing the essence of 1960's France, and by creating a completely believable atmosphere, Zinneman draws the viewer into the film. It is unlikely that the viewer will be able to lose interest as the plot moves along. A brilliant thriller, and a masterpiece for all time.

9/10

Proof that creativity and 'Hollywood formulas' are at cross purposes.

[devilinajeep · 10/10 · 19 February 2005]

Many films of recent years have had the potential to live on and become "classics," but all too often the 'Hollywood formula' for success makes them obsolete in a few short years. Having seen the 1997 remake, I was reluctant to watch the original, released in 1973. But I am certainly glad that I did. I would probably rate the original version a 9 had I not seen the newer one but I couldn't resist comparing the 2 and ultimately giving it a 10. It's historical accuracy might leave you wondering whether it is a true story or not because all of the characters are genuine and believable. It is intriguing, clever and offers a bit of suspense, all in the absence of romantic departures, gratuitous sex and unexplained violence. It's a well-researched, well-written story that was expertly adapted to film.

Exciting thriller with top-notch actors and excellent direction

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 30 August 2009]

This is a good rendition of Frederick Forsyth's best seller based on real events, it deals about an intelligent English assassin (Edward Fox) who is assigned by OAS to assassinate General De Gaulle. OAS was a terrorist group formed by French vets of the War of Argelia and committing terrorist acts preferentially after its independence (Evian,1962). The Minister (Alan Badel) assigns the mission to locate Jackal , being appointed his best investigator named Lebel( Michael Lonsdale) and assisted by his helper (Derek Jacobi). The film develops the preparation of the assassination including identity forge, weapons purchase, among others.

This is an interesting thriller lavishly produced by John Woolf who after that he made ¨Odessa file¨ also by Frederick Forsyth. It's full of action, tense, high intrigue and is very entertaining. From the beginning to the end the tension and suspense is continued . In spite of the fact that the runtime is overlong, is neither tiring , nor dull , but thrilling . Cool performance by Edward Fox as elegant and cunning murderer. All star cast formed by prestigious secondary actors as French : Michael Lonsdale, Michel Auclair, Alan Badel, and British : Cryil Cusack, Maurice Denham, Eric Porter, Timothy West,Ronald Pickup, Donald Sinden and others uncredited, almost extras: Edward Hardwicke , Andrea Ferreol, Feodor Atkine and Howard Vernon. And marvelous secondary actresses as Olga Georges-Picot and Delphyne Seyrig and including some of nudism. Beautifully photographed by expert cameraman Jean Tourneir. Suspenseful and atmospheric musical score by George Delerue.

The motion picture is stunningly directed by Fred Zinnemann who had a lot of experience from his formers classic films as ¨High Noon, From here to eternity, Man for all seasons ¨, among them. Rating : Very Good , better than average. It was such fine movie that had a great success at the box office. It's remade in 1997 by Michael Caton-Jones with Richard Gere and Bruce Willis as Jackal but is inferior version and bears only slight resemblance to the original movie.

Excellent, almost documentary quality

[mattymatt30 · 10/10 · 21 December 2003]

Easily one of my favorites, if not THE favorite. The cinematography is excellent, and has so many shots that seem to be done with long range or hidden cameras. This style makes the film seem so real! There is a scene in a market where the Jackal is shopping for disguises, and he (the actor Edward Fox), bumps into a woman shopping without turning to look or acknowledge her, that seems absolutely REAL. I don't know, but if I had to guess I would say that the camera was hidden and that she was not an actor, but a French woman out shopping. I would like to know more about the use of the public as 'extras' in this film. The story is excellent, and the implied menace of the classy Jackal is really excellent. 10/10!

The day of the long lost way of making movies

[CoastalCruiser · 7/10 · 30 August 2012]

No spoiler review: To begin with the many many outdoor shots of mid-70's Europe, the vistas, the buildings, the goofy looking automobiles.... that alone makes this movie worth the price of admission. Beyond the basic description of this movie, you have what boils down to a mano en mano battle of wits between the would-be assassin and the detective who would stop him. The detective is not a James Bond type however. Rather he is a quiet, low-key, slightly frumpy looking man who is none-the-less very good at his job. You're never sure who's going to win in this story, and in fact your not even sure who to root for. Which is great. There's not a lot of gratuitous bombing, sex, violence or what not in this film. Instead the fun is in watching the ingenious and quite believable methods employed by the assassin to carry out his mission. Enjoy!

grunt work pays off

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 1 May 2011]

Fred Zinnemann's excellent film, "The Day of the Jackal," is the story of an attempted assassination of President Charles de Gaulle. The way the film unfolds, almost as a documentary, one would assume it's a true story. Actually, it's from Frederic Forsyth's novel.

The Jackal (Edward Fox) is hired by the OAS, a militant underground group that opposes de Gaulle giving independence to Algeria. The group has learned the hard way that a man who survived -- in fact, led -- the Resistance in France during WW II is not easy to bump off. After shooting something like 110 bullets into his car, de Gaulle exited unscathed. So the OAS turns to an outsider, a crack assassin who carefully plans each step leading to de Gaulle's assassination. He is forced to think on his feet and kill a lot of people as unforeseen circumstances happen along the way.

If the Jackal is working hard, so is the French Security. Due to bank robberies in France by the OAS, the French government figures that the OAS needs to fund something. The OAS chief is captured and tortured. Security walks away with the name: The Jackal, and realize that De Gaulle may be in danger. There is no way to find the Jackal: They can't detain him at the border since they don't know his name. Government assassins can't destroy him if he's in another country; they can't arrest him in France because they don't know who he is. The can't search for him; they don't know what he looks like. The government calls in a man recommended by the Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel (Michael Lonsdale).

With precious little to go on, made worse because the entire operation must be kept secret, Lebel and an assistant (a young Derek Jacobi) start the step by step police work necessary to uncover this man. It's a massive job.

Absolutely fascinating film showing the careful preparations on the side of both the police and the assassin and the roadblocks each runs into. Edward Fox is brilliant as The Jackal -- even with precious little dialogue, he manages to show his coldness, preciseness, and quick mind. Lonsdale as Lebel seems like a real police detective - underplayed, exhausted, unflappable, and dogged. A wonderful performance.

Truly excellent film.

Gentleman Assassin.

[AaronCapenBanner · 7/10 · 14 September 2013]

Intelligent thriller(directed by Fred Zinnemann) based on Fredrick Forsythe's novel about professional assassin the Jackal(Edward Fox, quite good) who is hired by enemies of French president Charles De Gaulle to assassinate him, despite being the most closely guarded man in the world.

Engrossing thriller shows his careful research of his target, and how he prepares himself and comes up with a "foolproof" plan to kill him, and how, despite the outward appearance of an English gentleman, will still ruthlessly kill anyone who gets in his way, but of course history records a different outcome, which lends the right amount of truth to this examination of the case, even if the Jackal himself remains a mystery.

If you see it 1time only it is 'upscale'

[Lpccc · 4/10 · 5 June 2005]

But don't go see it again if you like to keep it in favorable memory. We liked it a lot the 1st time and made that mistake to watch it again: it revealed a riddle of flaws.

How can a deGaulle! assassin in a 'can never work again' job, not have a backup ( hand-) weapon?

But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

140 gunshots in 7 seconds - we witness how the rear window of deGaulle's Citroen shatters and falls out, so the back of his head and his shoulders, become visible. Yet when he arrives minutes later in that same car, the rear window is almost completely in place again.

Mr.Jackal was presented as an intellectual ( and experienced ) assassin, but Zinnemann made him throw a suitcase ( which did not cross the border with him ) into plain sight knowing the cops are on Mr.Jackal's trail.

And leave the scene of a license-plates-theft in sight of the victims, where the natural thing is to avoid being seen.

Three sections of his gun tubes would not fit inside the Alfa Romeo exhaust pipe shown : recognize the 'cut' between wrapping and shoving it in. And how did he smuggle i.e where did he hide the rest of his crutches-assembly ? The lil' Alfa don't have enough hidden spaces.

If it is midnight in Paris, it's not "7" in D.C. -not am nor pm- and NOPE no daylight saving in '63.

There was no paint-gun yet operable at 12v (invented 1971)

Accident-scene: if the driver of the Peugoet 404 died in this crash, there was a considerable 2nd impact-site. And sure the cops were able to tell there was a 2nd vehicle involved in the accident. How then can LeBel order only 10km radius search and ...'watch for 2 suitcases' ... ????

No 40yr old average human being suffocates another 40yr old healthy human in 10sec with bare hands ( or get them unconscious and kill ) without a sound or struggle.

If you are 70+ yrs of age, would you climb the top of a 30ft ladder to break thru a window when the hallway-door to that same room has a handle and a key-hole ?

Tulle station, machine-gun flic. Q "Danish?" A "Please?" and then Q "What is your business here?" A "I'm a schoolteacher on holiday" After pretending not to understand the word "Danish?" every cop in the world would've arraigned 'Mr.Lundquist' after his 2nd answer.

That "midday train to Paris" has 3 different engines.

The 1st minister-meeting was from 7pm to about 10pm. According to the light however, LeBel's wife ran to the dove-house to tell about Berthier's car late morning or early pm. And when LeBel arrived, the ministers hallways were showered in mid-daylight.

Mr. Duggan could not have been Mr.Duggan anywhere; according to LeBel the passport was issued JUL.30th and quoting LeBel " no need to go back any further "

France's entire law-apparatus at LeBel's descretion was hunting the wrong car : the Alfa's license plate was not GE1741 as LeBel had his assistant write down.

From LeBel's office to Gare Austerlitz was more than 30minutes - under good circumstances thru 1963 Paris' street-traffic. It is also said in another IMDb'ers comment that they certainly had plenty of manpower at a major Paris-train station. A simple phone-call would've accomplished a better job. The 'rushing-to-the-train' scene is complete nonsense whichever way you look at it.

Was there a problem with the film's budget, that Zinnemann couldn't afford to avoid ( or cut ) vehicles that didn't yet exist ?

In '63 there were no BMX bikes in Genova or anywhere on this globe, no Renault R16, Peugeot 504 or 304, Vespa Scooters with square headlights, no Citroen Limousines with 'chinese' around-the-curve looking headlights ( we're sure you can find 2doz more wrong 'voitures' ).

This piece became a science-fiction. Or is Pontius Pilate starting Ben Hur's race with a flare-gun and 'The Godfather' driving Ford Mondeo's and Chevy Lumina's ?

And once LeBel discovered the open window - his logical and fastest option ( duty? ) to prevent the Jackal, was to get to deGaulle less than 10sec away. Not climb 6 flights by foot to "top floor" for a shootout.

Compare the explosion of the melon with the tiny " puff " of Jackal's shot at DeGaulle. An explosive bullet would've caused a 5inch crater in the cobble-stones, not to speak of the 150 'dezibel' at impact less than 5ft from DeGaulle's head. In a 100ft diameter everyone would 'duck away' after such a bullet's impact on granite. It is human reflex.

***

All those things can truly 'disenchant' – it'll throw you off as they say. Zinnemann and Ross budged massively.

However much of the above we didn't recognize quite AS badly at first watch, 'cause plot and places ( thanks to FF ) are pleasurable and manage to distract and occupy.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait.

[GoBlueB · 17 October 2004]

With the growing impatience of the modern film-goer, it's no wonder people can't watch this film today. It's long. There's no music. People don't talk enough. The violence isn't bloody. The photography is very boring. The ending sucked. These were just a few of the complaints that I received upon screening this to about 50 high school students at a recent film club meeting. It was my week to show a movie, and I wondered how people might respond to this. Well, we started with 50, and by the end, there were about 7 kids left. Allow me to explain.

This film, has a very specific look and feel for its time. Set in the early sixties, we follow a fictionalized account of an assassination attempt on the life of Charles De Gaul. The OAR, a conservative underground movement angry about De Gaul's ending of the war in Algeria, decides they must take back power. Ultimately, almost all of their attempts have failed, so in desperation, the OAS decides to hire an outside assassin to eliminate De Gaul. At the time, this scared viewers, the thought of controlling and altering government, through illegal action. In a way, it's comparable to Grisham's Runaway Jury, in the sense that the law has few boundaries when change is wanted. The OAS hires the Jackal, played with dry cool by Edward Fox, an amazing underground assassin, with a reputation preceding him, even if he isn't supposed to exist.

Now, in accordance with the IMDb's rules concerning spoilers and revealing the ending, I won't divulge much in the ways of plot, but I must say, this is an excellently crafted piece of political thriller. From the novel by Frederick Forsyth, and scripted by Kenneth Ross, the script merely acts as a smart guideline for the action. Fred Zinnemann, directing his first film in several years, observes the actions of The Jackal and the French Secret Service's attempts to capture the Jackal with a carefully detached eye. He pays close attention to detail, much like the Jackal, leaving little room for error. Several people complained that the direction was boring, but really, it's very smart in its simplicity. Zinnemann allows for his actors and action to play out in very realistic manner, giving the film an engaging sense of time, making its viewers engaged in what's happening. The straight, no nonsense photography and lack of music add to that feel, giving this film much more credibility. Oh, and the settings utilized incredibly well too. The only noticeable style in this film is the editing, in its creation of clever transitions, like cutting shots, while using the previous soundtrack. Michael Lonsdale plays the head detective for the French Secret Service with collected calm. Highly aware and patient, he creates a smart and understated hero for the film. Meanwhile, on the other side of the political scandal, we have Edward Fox's Jackal, a super cool, highly resourceful, and highly aware individual. He too, practices the art of patience, and at any set- back, he's able to resourcefully able to work his out of it. But, don't try to negotiate with Mr. Jackal, because if he must come to it, he has no qualms about hurting someone in order to protect himself. A very amoral, if not fascinating anti-hero for this film.

The film was released in July of 1973, as an action thriller for Universal, labeled as dime a dozen action flick by publications such as the New York Times. Yet its gained longevity because of it's it tight plotting, nuanced performances, realistic action, and dark and unusual humor, this film will live far beyond its years. This film transcends the typical Hollywood action genre by being smarter than the average thriller, and by patiently waiting for the Jackal's next move, it's hard not to finish this movie. Some might speak of Michael Caton-Jones 1997 remake favorably, but the only reason people may think it's any good at all is because of impaired judgment from excessive repeat viewings on USA network... But seriously, while the remake is violent, stylized, and dull, the original is engaging, smart, and thoughtful. My only complaint is the ending's similarities to the original Manchurian Candidate's finale. But even so, this film has a satisfying conclusion.

To those who think that is long and boring, try sitting through this with an open mind. Unfortunately, modern audiences have tricked into thinking that good film-making consists if gritty realistic violence like Gladiator, or irritatingly hyperactive style and pace like The Matrix. This is film of great substance and intrigue. I'm 18 and in high school, and even I was willing to give this a chance, and it's one of my favorite films because of that. It's movie making in the true sense of the word, because it shows you a story. So please, forget about your MTV or Jerry Bruckheimer produced material, and try something thoughtful and interesting. This may be long by today's standards, but it's well worth the wait in the end.

-Blake Goble, film watcher, maker, and addict

Coldly efficient like it's central character

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 22 November 2010]

Much like the novel from which it was based on, The Day of the Jackal is a detailed, compelling and cold thriller. Frederick Forsyth has never been an author who imbues his characters with much humanity or depth; he is much more adept with presenting technical and political aspects in fine detail. This served him very well in the case of The Day of the Jackal, a novel that not only was detailed in these ways, but also was primarily about a cold calculated professional killer, whose lack of depth or real identity was actually a positive for the story. In other words this story was perfectly suited to Forsyth's style.

For those who don't know, the film is set in 1963 and is about a French right-wing political group who want president Chares de Gaulle assassinated because of his decision to grant Algeria independence. They hire a professional killer with no ties to them to carry out the difficult task.

Edward Fox plays the titular character with the requisite cold efficiency required. He is very much an anti-hero, as while he does murder some innocent people he is also the only figure in the film to really get behind. The French authorities are shown to not be slow to use brutal methods on their enemies themselves, while the two policemen assigned to the case are so lacking in charisma that it's just very hard to get behind them in their pursuit of the villain. If there is a fault with the film it must surely be that we as viewers are drawn to the Jackal and his against-all-odds mission - I think most people want him to succeed – and I'm not entirely sure this is what the film-makers actually intended.

The period detail and French locations are lovely, so cinematically this is a very attractive looking film. It's well-paced and direct with no wastage. We never get into the Jackal character's head ourselves as viewers, there is a definite distance and we don't always immediately know why he does certain things. This only adds to the compelling voyeurism of watching him on his deadly mission. Despite the genre, there is a definite restraint shown in the depictions of violence. It's often implied or shown just off-screen. The focus of the film is very much on the way in which the assassin navigates through his mission via different methods of subterfuge. The film could not be further away in style from the laughable 90's remake The Jackal, a film that seems to do everything in an opposite way.

The Day of the Jackal is overall an excellent political thriller that combines intelligence with a gripping narrative. It shows how this kind of material should be presented on screen, where less can absolutely be more. The way that it always stays within the realm of the plausible is one of its strongest suits too. All this combined with its enigmatic central villain make it a superlative film.

" Except for the President, we are now the most powerful men in France "

[thinker1691 · 10/10 · 17 July 2009]

Frederick Forsyth is the imaginative author behind this suspenseful and riveting tale concerning the attempt on the life of the Former President of France, Charles de Gaulle. From first to last, the director has embed this dramatic film with the believability of actual fact. Years ago, during his tenure as President of the Republic of France, De Gaulle gave Algeria its Independence. French army veterans felt betrayed by him and the government decide to assassinate him. There were several attempts, all of which were either botched or failed miserably. Thus the basis for this movie. " The Day of the Jackal " is the story of a secret group of retired Agerian officers called the O.A.S. who promised to kill de Gaulle, opt to hire an expert assassin to carry out the deed. That man is an Englishman, Paul Duggan, (Edward Fox) who is given the code name 'The Jackal'. He is a professional marksman with a perfect record of assassinations around the world. Aware that OAS officers want de Gaulle dead, the French police put a 24 hour surveillance on them. They capture and torture one courier who reveals the new attempt and discover the contract killer is little more than a ghost. Nevertheless, they hire the best detective in all of France, Commissioner Claude Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) to discover the identify of the killer before he kills the president. Derek Jacobi plays Caron his assistant and both men have the impossible task of finding a nearly invisible man. While the police are informed of his task, they do not know much else and therefore allow the Jackal to find a perfect location for the deed. Once in place the assassin waits for his target, who is precisely on time and only a few seconds separates the two cops from their quarry. The entire film is well paced as is the storyline. The acting is superb and contains some well known actors like Cyril Cusack as The Gunsmith, Alan Badel, Tony Britton, Adrien Cayla-Legrand as The President and Maurice Denham as General Colbert. It is easy to recommend this film and the selection of Edward Fox was a stroke of genius. ****

Now this is what a thriller should be like

[matjusm · 10/10 · 3 July 2007]

The Jackal (Edward Fox) is a professional hit-man who has been hired by a French terrorists/resistance (depending on your point of view) group to kill Charles De Gaulle. For a tidy sum of money The Jackal accepts the job.

This film has all the elements of what a good thriller should be like. The film is tense and the tension never goes away but that doesn't mean that things are rushed. I wouldn't call the film heart pounding but it certainly does hold your attention. The characters don't make any stupid or illogical decisions but everybody (both the Jackal and the police who are trying to get him) act professionally with every move having been calculated beforehand. We see how the killer prepares for his job, the intricate technical details of what go into such a thing. A very interesting thing to see instead of simply rushing past those things to focus mainly on action scenes.

Edward Fox makes for a great Jackal. He is a focused professional who always knows what he is doing. The French police somehow find out that an attempt will be made on De Gaulle's life so they begin a desperate search for the culprit.

Director Fred Zimmerman is the man who brings all these elements together and weaves them into a solid film that holds up to this day. This film is far superior to the 1997 remake with Bruce Willis.

Recommended if you want a good escapist thriller with which to escape from the world for a few hours.

The original and always the best

[rh86 · 10/10 · 18 January 2007]

Back in August 1962, France faced a major crisis as army members, opposed to the decision by De Gaulle to grant Independence to Algeria banded together into the OAS and sought to kill De Gaulle. Following their failed attempt in the Paris Suburb of Petit Clamart (very faithfully recreated in the film) this film asks the question, what if the OAS tried again with a professional assassin? Casting Edward Fox as the assassin, codenamed Jackal is probably one of the best decision in film history. He doesn't look dangerous and even for someone like me who abhors guns and violence, it's hard not to admire his coolness and professionalism. The film turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse when the French authorities learn of the plot but not wanting to create a panic, only one man, Comissioner Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) is given permission to find him. Lebel in many ways is similar to the Jackal, he doesn't look like your average cop but he is incredibly professional and diligent.

The film sticks faithfully to the early 1960s and is shot very stylishly, going to the real locations from Genoa, the French Rivieria and Paris. Zinneman's direction is also very precise, everything you see on screen has a meaning, nothing is superfluous and although it's fairly long, the film builds gradually to a climax rather than jumping in.

Please don't even consider the terrible 1997 remake, stick with the original and enjoy

Effective thriller

[malcolmgsw · 7/10 · 22 October 2019]

The film manages to get round the one major problem,which is that De Gaulle was not assassinated..So the emphasis is placed on the cat and mouse game between the police and the assasin.

A magnificent and skillful thriller.

[mhasheider · 9/10 · 6 November 2002]

Chilling yet on the ball at all times-type of a detective story and international mystery stirred up into a magnificent and skillful thriller.

The O.A.S., the French version of the I.R.A. are determined more than ever to take out the current president, General Charles De Gaulle, at any cost. And after the last attempt on DeGaulle went undone, an Englishman who is only known as the Jackal (Edward Fox) is hired to finish the job even though he wants to do it his way.

Once the word gets out, a noble Paris detective, Claude Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) is chosen by his superiors to apprehend the Jackal before he can pull off the assassination.

The movie is based on the novel written by Frederick Forsyth ("The Dogs of War", "The Fourth Protocol") and the adaption made by Kenneth Ross is remarkably accurate and retains mostly of the mind-numbing suspense.

Well-known director Fred Zinnenmen (the original "High Noon" and "From Here to Eternity") handles the film like a picture frame, keeping it clean and avoiding any of the typical Hollywood methods, especially the climax. If there another movie that could ever match or get close to the same level of ferocious intensity of this movie has. Wolfgang Peterson's "In The Line of Fire" with Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich seems to be the best exception and after that, I don't anyone has matched this movie.

Solid, Methodical, Engrossing Thriller Of Assassination Attempt On The French President

[ShootingShark · 6/10 · 7 February 2010]

In 1963, the Organisation De L'Armée Secrète, a right-wing French terrorist group, hire a mysterious hit-man codenamed The Jackal to assassinate President Charles DeGaulle. Can he pull off this remarkable crime, or will Police Inspector Claude Lebel find him first ?

Based on the bestselling 1971 novel by Frederic Forsyth, this is an exciting European thriller with great locations (Bloomsbury in London, Genoa, Montparnasse in Paris), a gripping storyline throughout and an unusual premise; we know DeGaulle wasn't killed, so we know the ending to the picture. How then does it hold our interest - it becomes the story of how close The Jackal comes to succeeding, and, much more significantly, the story of his methodology. We see him meeting his contacts, preparing his fake identities, smuggling his weapon across the border, constructing disguises, avoiding detection. He plans everything carefully, but also improvises and adjusts his schemes as and when required. He is truly a phantom, and as such this film is the blueprint for many good hit-man thrillers which came later (In The Line of Fire, Léon, Grosse Pointe Blanke). I must confess I don't usually like Fox, but here he is pretty good, mostly because he has very little to say and the movie is so matter-of-fact. He is well matched by Lonsdale as Lebel, the steady, commensurate professional detective, and the cast has some interesting supporting players like Cusack (the genteel gunsmith) and Pickup (the ill-fated forger). With good photography by Jean Tournier and first-rate editing by Ralph Kemplen (who won an Academy Award), this is a well put-together thriller by old pro Zinnemann, and the touchstone assassin character study movie. Followed by a sort of sequel, The Jackal in 1997. Trivia - if you like Citroen DS cars there are a lot of them in this movie.

Stealth Man Among Us

[Lechuguilla · 10/10 · 7 May 2005]

This is not a true story. It is a fictional account of what could, in theory, have happened following the August 22, 1962, real life assassination attempt by the OAS terrorist group, on the life of French President Charles De Gaulle. In the film, the OAS tries again, this time using a simpler plan, one involving a lone gunman, a professional killer who calls himself ... the jackal (Edward Fox). The jackal is the archetype of the modern political sniper. The screenplay and Fox's performance present him as suave, sophisticated, intelligent, resourceful, and methodical. He is a risk taker. All of which makes him extremely dangerous, because he has no moral scruples.

We watch the jackal as he prepares meticulously for his assignment. As the clock ticks toward the moment of kill, the plot alternates between the jackal's daily logistics and the frantic efforts of Detective Lebel (Michael Lonsdale), hot on the jackal's trail, but always one step behind him. Kenneth Ross' efficient screenplay and Fred Zinnemann's expert direction create a film with steadily building suspense.

In lieu of unnecessary background music, sound effects engender a sense of realism and immediacy. The ticking of a clock, the sound of footsteps, or doors opening and closing, help to place the viewer in the scene, as a silent partner. The use of echoes further heightens the already elevated suspense. And adroit cinematography creates menacing visuals, characterized by dark backgrounds, creepy overhead lights, and noirish shadows. Augmenting all of this, the film's minimal dialogue, attention to detail in production design and costumes, the excellent acting, and the brilliant editing seal the film's deserved reputation as a film of unusually high technical quality. The overall result for the viewer is a truly suspenseful and realistic story not easily forgotten.

My only significant complaint is the film's strange climax. I personally found it to be elliptically counterintuitive. Notwithstanding this, "The Day Of The Jackal" deserves a very high recommendation for viewers wanting to see a political thriller along the lines of "Three Days Of The Condor" or "The Parallax View".

Not as good as I'd remembered it.

[alice liddell · 7/10 · 20 September 1999]

I first saw this film as an astonished child, and because it was withdrawn from TV (apparently because its DIY guide to assassination was too informative), it began to grow a talismanic importance in my memories. The reasons for my astonishment were legion. Here was a film that dared to reject the tyranny of character cinema in favour of pure mathematics. There is a spare, beautiful geometry to the plot. A wants to shoot B; C wants to protect B; C goes after A. Nothing is allowed intrude on this angular perfection - the plot is an inexorable tracing of clean lines.

I also loved the concomitant fact that the film rejected conventional notions of heroes and villains. There is no character whatsoever in this film, just parts of the plot's design. We are frequently shown weapons being pulled apart and put together, trains,. vehicles, roads, and especially clocks - we are simply watching a mechanism, the assemblage of clockwork. Imagine if THE TERMINATOR was really about the Terminator: JACKAL's characters are all robots, walking through their inevitable paces. This gives the film a strange dreamlike effect.

The film is quite sly about its mechanical effect, and plays with our atavistic need for human empathy. When the Jackal goes to a graveyard, and stands by an infant's grave, we think we might be getting biographical information, an explanation of why he does what he does - maybe this infant was his brother. But he's only looking for somebody's identity to steal. Later, we are given a travelogue of Paris through his eyes. This is very attractive and humanising, until we realise that he's looking for a vantage point from which to kill.

JACKAL is very brave in never letting this up - as Hollywood proved, his character could be reduced to mush. Here he remains a killing machine, and the climax is very chilling: the only reason the Jackal doesn't succeed is the purest of chances (this was much more plausible than I'd remembered). This was another reason to love it - the use of the detective story. Here no crime has been committed - the police are in fact chasing two phantoms - this unknown Jackal, and a projection into the future (the crime).

Finally there was the setting, in the world's most enrapturing country, France.

Of course, having seen much more films since, JACKAL could only disappoint. The remembered tightness of the plot was actually highly porous, which is normally overlookable, but fatal when the main character IS the plot (see below for an amusing point-by-point review of its flaws). The film's amorality was still beautiful, but the indifference to actual politics nagged me, although, even if de Gaulle's dodgy track record was overlooked, we got some idea of how close to a police state his France was.

Most disappointing though was the direction. Zinnemann just doesn't seem to know what to do with this wonderful material - it's ironic that his supposedly 'humanist' films are let down by his mechanical direction, and yet he can do nothing but prettify a confection of pure mechanics. Can you imagine what a work of genius this could have been in Melville's hands? There were two amazing films about hitmen in the decade prior to JACKAL - LE SAMOURAI and IL CONFORMISTA - so this just isn't good enough.

And yet it almost is, thanks to Edward Fox. Although he is still a machine, the most fascinating parts of the film are when he breaks down. Zinnemann uses some quietly remarkable effects, more effective for them being sparse, of the Jackal losing control, whether it's through slow-motion, breaks in sound, or whatever, which almost confers a Melvillean grace. These are all the more powerful for not derailing the plot, and not being explained.

Tedious

[gridoon · 5/10 · 17 July 1999]

Very tedious.It requires a lot of patience to keep watching,yet you're expecting a great finale.Unfortunately,the climax is pretty anticlimactic,and certainly not worth the wait.The film succeeds as a tour around Europe but fails as a suspenser.It's slow and unrewarding,with one plus: Fox's on-target performance.