The Day of the Jackal (1973)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann

Film Review

One of the slickest and most compelling political thrillers of the 1970s, The Day of the Jackal still impresses with its authenticity, superlative narrative construction and a memorable central performance from Edward Fox.  Closely based on what is arguably the best of Frederick Forsyth's thriller novels, the film compares and contrasts the professionalism and precision of the assassin, a man who knows what he is doing, with the bungling police, who seem to get results more by luck than by aptitude.

The film's slow pace and cold, almost documentary-style presentation clearly owe something to French film director Jean-Pierre Melville, whose austere policiers such as Le Samourai (1967) and Le Cercle rouge (1970) continue to influence filmmakers around the world.   It would be stretching it to say that this is a comedy, but there is certainly a comedic undercurrent, which is fuelled by Michael Lonsdale's subtly humorous portrayal of a slightly ham-fisted investigator.  Joining the cast of very distinguished British character actors are several notable French thesps, including Delphine Seyrig, Jacques François and Philippe Léotard, the latter of whom would star in many French thrillers of this kind throughout the following decade.

The Day of the Jackal was directed by Fred Zinnemann, a prolific Hollywood filmmaker who had previously made such enduring classics as From Here to Eternity (1953), Oklahoma! (1955) and A Man for All Seasons (1966), as well as Marlon Brando's startling debut feature The Men (1950).   These films testify to Zinnemann's extraordinary versatility and skill as a filmmaker.  Although The Day of the Jackal was not a commercial success when it was first released, today it is regarded as one of the finest films of its kind, and is certainly vastly superior to its 1997 remake, The Jackal, which starred Bruce Willis and Richard Gere.

Film Synopsis

Dissatisfied with President De Gaulle's decision to grant independence to Algeria, a number of men in the French military form an underground organisation, the OAS, with the sole aim of assassinating the president.   A first assassination attempt in August 1962 ends in failure.  The target escapes unharmed and the would-be assassins are rounded up by the French police and executed.  This outcome does not deter the surviving members of the OAS, who decide to hire a professional hit-man to kill the president.  The man selected for the job has no past, is unknown to the police, and is identified only by his codename: The Jackal.  After meticulous preparation, the assassin makes his way to Paris to carry out his assignment, unaware that the police have already begun to uncover his plan...