The Day of the Jackal

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.

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.

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.

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.

... How am I supposed to review a thriller I liked a lot ? It's much easier to write comments on a thriller I disliked , a good example being that really crap movie with Bruce Willis hired by the Russian mafia and IRA man Richard Gere trying to stop him . I think you know the movie I'm talking about

Frederick Forsyth writes thrillers that not only entertain you but educate you too and Kenneth Ross has written a screenplay that reflects this type of writing . The characters aren't cyphers created just to push the plot along , you can really believe these policemen have been solving cases for years ( notice how the policemen are either dowdy or gruff or both . Very realistic ) while you just know " The Jackal " is the world's most effective hit-man . Director Fred Zimmerman films the movie the best way possible - As a docudrama . Okay it might be a little slow and European to some tastes thirty years after it was filmed but compare it to the aforementioned remake and tell me what ones more nailbiting and compelling ? No contest is it