Day Of The Jackal [1973]

The film is a tight production, nearly boarding on documentary. Edward portrays the meticulous hitman of many disguises who has been hired to assassinate Charles de Gaulle. Based on the spy novel from Frederick Forsyth, director Fred Zinnermann focuses on the French detectives racing to track down the elusive Jackal before it's too late, and well as the dispassionate, professional preparations by Fox. But you are in two minds, actually. Fox is so winning in the performance, fleshing out the Jackal just not as a coldblooded killer, but as a man, so you oddly almost root for him to succeed, at the same time cheering for him to fail.

With the marvellous supporting cast of Derek Jacobi, Alan Badel, Maurice Denham, Cyril Cusack, the faced paced script by Kenneth Ross (Breaker Morant) keeps you absorbed from beginning to end.

Thanks awfully, Edward!!


5 Star professionals at work   March 4, 2004
Andy Millward (Broxbourne, Herts, UK)
13 out of 16 found this review helpful

That we know de Gaulle was not assassinated makes Zinneman's achievement all the more remarkable. This is a film crafted with genius.

He's taken Frederick Forsyth's fine thriller and improved upon it in almost every particular. The plot is more logical, the pace tighter; the characters retain their intense and personal distance (essential for the plot), but are somehow far more human and calculating, and the suspense is palpable.

There have been many cat-and-mouse stories of the detective tracing the criminal, but none so effective. Just to appreciate how good the original is at the art of film-making, compare it to the dire American remake starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere.

The directorial techniques used are stunningly effective: freeze frame highlights key moments. Silence is used to stunning effect, particularly at the climax which creeps upon the viewer without being signposted by creepy music - big improvement that other directors could do well to note.

The cool ruthlessness of the Jackal is beautifully drawn out by Edward Fox, using the meticulous planning process to tune his character's determination to suceed in the assassination.

By contrast, Michael Lonsdale's detective, burdened by the awesome responsibility of saving France, applies to the task with dogged and passionate determination. That he succeeds is not enough for his own satisfaction - he does not know his enemy, and never really knew who he was chasing.

This film has consistently stayed in my personal top 10 of all time since way back when. DotJ has been accused of being emotionally cold and lacking human warmth, but it strikes exactly the right balance between steely realism and hypothetical retelling of history - one reason why the remake is hokum by comparison!


first rate thriller about a plot to assassinate de Gaulle   July 22, 2004
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Think of the problem here in terms of suspense: "The Day of the Jackal" is the story of meticulous hitman (Edward Fox) who is hired by disgruntled French generals to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. But we all know that de Gaulle was NOT assassinated, so how does this film achieve suspense? The answer is: extremely well. This is a superior thriller from the novel by Frederick Forsyth and directed by Fred Zinnemann ("High Noon"), who gives equal weight to the professional preparations of the assassin and the dogged efforts of the French detectives to run down the "Jackal." The audience is placed in the position of actually rooting for both sides as the story develops. The excellent cast includes Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig, Alan Badel, Cyril Cusack and Derek Jacobi. "The Day of the Jackal" offers an unforgettable conclusion in which you come to the moment you thought was impossible, as the Jackal finally gets de Gaulle in his sights.