The Day of the Jackal (1973)

With its high-intensity plot about an attempt to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle, the bestselling novel by Frederick Forsyth was a prime candidate for screen adaptation. Director Fred Zinnemann brought his veteran skills to bear on what has become a timeless classic of screen suspense. Not to be confused with the later remake The Jackal starring Bruce Willis (which shamelessly embraced all the bombast that Zinnemann so wisely avoided), this 1973 thriller opts for lethal elegance and low-key tenacity in the form of the Jackal, the suave assassin played with consummate British coolness by Edward Fox. He's a killer of the highest order, a master of disguise and international elusiveness, and this riveting film follows his path to de Gaulle with an intense, straightforward documentary style. Perhaps one of the last great films from a bygone age of pure, down-to-basics suspense (and a kind of debonair European alternative to the American grittiness of The French Connection), The Day of the Jackal is a cat-and-mouse thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until its brilliantly executed final scene (pardon the pun), by which time Fox has achieved cinematic immortality as one of the screen's most memorable killers. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Good movie good price !

It might start out slow ,but it turns into a great thriller at the end. Characters were enjoyable, of course the Jackal and his disguises are really cool..if you read the other reviews you know the story. If you have never seen it I would say but it as it is only 7.00 new....and give it a shot.. June 25, 2008

Best Cat and Mouse - Detective vs. Would-be Assassin Movie

Forget the Willis remake (which was awful). This original film version of The Day of the Jackal manages to be faithful to the novel & even surpass it, primarily due to the acting skills of the cast, in particular Michel Lonsdale as the French detective trying to catch assassin Edward Fox before he kills DeGaulle.

Even though you know DeGaulle won't be killed, the movie pulls you in and keeps you watching as you find yourself wanting to see just how far the Jackal (Fox) will get in his quest - and how successful Detective Label (Lonsdale) will be in catching him. Twists and turns, lots of near misses, and a nice little kick at the end.

Despite the length of the movie, it never seems long at all. I loaned the book to my father-in-law a year or so ago, and he enjoyed it so much that I then loaned him the dvd, which he liked even better. June 20, 2008

Those Whacky French

I've always enjoyed Forsyth's books, particularly "The Odessa File". This movie is a classic, but I hadn't seen it in a while. I was amused to go back to it after all of these years and catch some ridiculous errors that would not fly in this day and age. People being killed by a single karate chop, a women being strangled to death in about 3 seconds with no struggle...and why did all of these French characters have English accents? Never the less, it still is a great story and an enjoyable movie that gives insight into a post-war / cold-war Europe of which modern Americans have little understanding. March 28, 2008

The day of the Jackal

This video is excellent! It is as close as possible to the book,without it going over 4 hrs in length.Keeps you at the edge of your seat,wondering if the Jackal will forfill his contract or take the money and run!Outstanding! March 11, 2008

One of the great detective movies.

Because Frederick Forsyth does so much research for his books, The Day of the Jackal doesn't dip into fantasy; it gives us an accurate look at a part of French history that many people know nothing about. The movie is quite faithful to the novel, the acting is excellent, if a little low-key in places, and the tension builds nicely as the police close in on the would-be assassin via some solid and sometimes brilliant detective work. A movie worth seeing, one of my favourites but, unfortunately, not very well-known to most people. March 8, 2008

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