Big name stars, an exciting action story, and expert direction by Michael Caton-Jones (“Rob Roy” 1995) are all atributes of “The Jackal.” This complex, yet easy to follow, tale of an international search for an elusive assassin is a credit to the well written screenplay by Chuck Pfarrer. It is loosely based on the 1973 film “The Day of the Jackal.”
The performances were superb. The mostly distant adversarial relationship between Bruce Willis as the Jackal and Richard Gere as the IRA operative chasing him is as good as has ever been captured on film. Director Caton-Jones did an outstanding job of orchestrating the plot and storyline, along with handling the cast that also includes Sidney Poitier as the FBI Deputy Director, his last major film role before passing away in 2022.
Other actors include Diane Verona, J. K. Simmons, Jack Black, Tess Harper, Mathilda May, Richard Lineback, Leslie Phillips, Stephen Spinella, Sophie Okonedo, David Hayman, and talk show host Larry King in a cameo as himself. “The Jackal” is a watchable film, a bust with critics but a boom with the public, from production companies Alphaville Films, Mutual Film Company, and Universal Pictures.
The Jackal (1997)
cinema
My Review
Big name stars, an exciting action story, and expert direction by Michael Caton-Jones (“Rob Roy” 1995) are all atributes of “The Jackal.” This complex, yet easy to follow, tale of an international search for an elusive assassin is a credit to the well written screenplay by Chuck Pfarrer. It is loosely based on the 1973 film “The Day of the Jackal.”
The performances were superb. The mostly distant adversarial relationship between Bruce Willis as the Jackal and Richard Gere as the IRA operative chasing him is as good as has ever been captured on film. Director Caton-Jones did an outstanding job of orchestrating the plot and storyline, along with handling the cast that also includes Sidney Poitier as the FBI Deputy Director, his last major film role before passing away in 2022.
Other actors include Diane Verona, J. K. Simmons, Jack Black, Tess Harper, Mathilda May, Richard Lineback, Leslie Phillips, Stephen Spinella, Sophie Okonedo, David Hayman, and talk show host Larry King in a cameo as himself. “The Jackal” is a watchable film, a bust with critics but a boom with the public, from production companies Alphaville Films, Mutual Film Company, and Universal Pictures.