Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Written by Kenneth Ross from the book by Frederick Forsyth
1973/UK/France
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Col. Rodin: We are not terrorists, you understand. We are patriots. Our duty is to the soldiers who died fighting in Algeria, and to the three million French citizens who have always lived there.
In his penultimate film, Fred Zinnemann delivers a tense political thriller.
It is 1962. Disgruntled French military officers have formed an underground militant organization in anger over Algerian independence. They have already made one unsuccessful attempt on the life of President Charles DeGaulle. They decide that what they need for success is a professional hitman who is an outsider. They settle on an Englishman who uses the code name “Jackal” (Edward Fox).
The Jackal is the consumate assassin with careful attention to detail and complete willingness to dispose of witnesses. He is also a master of disguises. The OAS has a mole inside the French secret service.
We follow the build up to assassination day both from the perspective of the Jackal and from the viewpoint of the French and British secret services who pursue him independently.
This is a slow burn but builds to a very dramatic climax. It’s a well-made, entertaining thriller.
The Day of the Jackal was nominated for the Best Film Editing Oscar.
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Take a true story told my a superb suspense writer, Frederick Forsyth, and filmed by an excellent and elegant director and you get this amazingly exciting masterpiece. I love this film and I often show it to my friends who always wonder why they never heard of it. It was horribly remade years later under the title “Jackal”. Don’t waste your time. I especially enjoyed Michel Lonsdale’s performance and Edward Fox wasn’t bad either. A perfect film and can’t wait to see it again soon. Bea, you have excellent taste in films.
Two of us with the same good taste!
Well you may want to change your opinion of my taste. You see, one of my three favorite movies of all time is “The Wild Bunch”! And I bet you probably won’t get around to reviewing that 1973 Sam Peckinpah glorious mess of a film, “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.”
Naw, you just have a tolerance for graphic violence than I do. I don’t think that is a matter of taste.
One 1973 film you might consider if you haven’t seen is Don Siegel’s “Charley Varrick” a brilliant crime gem. Walter Matthau is great as the title character.
That one is on my list! I’m also looking forward to revisiting The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
Eddie Coyle! A great choice. Mitchum was always fantastic, especially here.:-)