Film Review: The Day of the Jackal

Director: Fred Zimmerman

Having read the book over a year ago, which is fantastic by the way, I thought it would only be fair to give the film version a chance. Filmed in 1973, the story has the potential to become a fantastic movie so was intrigued what Zimmerman decided to do with it.

The film follows the mission of a man known only as The Jackal (Edward Fox) who is hired by the OAS to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. We see an early attempt by the OAS to assassinate him themselves (recreation of an actual event) but fail miserably and since the organisation is riddled with informers they decide to hire an external hit man to perform the job with minimal help. The film follows the meticulous planning of the Jackal as he sets up numerous fake identities and makes his way towards Paris to complete his job.

The Jackal (Edward Fox) practices with his new weapon in a forest

The film is almost the opposite of what it would be like if it was to be made today, it is much more subtle and understated than many thrillers that are made these days. Many killings are done discreetly with minimal violence or completed off-screen. Edward Fox is top assassin due to his intelligence and experience rather than his brawn making the whole thing much more realistic. He is the epitome of cold efficiency in a killer.

Some of the characters early on are difficult to distinguish between as the story is set up which makes it all hard to follow but improves as the movie settles into its plot. The French police have the unenviable task of trying to track down an assassin who will kill the French President despite not knowing anything about his appearance or background. They are constantly hit with problems as the Jackal outwits them and Claude Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) sees the case taking over his life as he begins to sleep at the police station. The only downside being that the two characters battling wits to complete their tasks only actually feature in one scene together.

2.5/4 good adaptation but lacks the killer punch to make it a classic