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The Day of the Jackal

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The Day of the Jackal

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• Thriller
• Crime/detective

• 1973
• Fred Zinnemann
• 136 mins
• 15

Summary

Thriller based on Frederick Forsyth's novel, starring Edward Fox and Michel Lonsdale. In 1963, having failed in its attempt to murder General de Gaulle, the hardline French Secret Army Organisation decides to hire a top professional killer to do the job properly. Codenamed the "Jackal", the seemingly unassuming Englishman begins to lay his intricate plans to assassinate one of the world's most powerful men.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

David Parkinson

A magnificent script from Kenneth Ross and a masterly central performance from Edward Fox form the backbone of this big-screen version of Frederick Forsyth's bestselling novel. But it's Fred Zinnemann's matchless direction that makes it such compelling viewing and an object lesson in suspense. The pacing of the picture is superb, a methodical accumulation of detail that is as fastidious as Fox's preparation for his mission to assassinate General de Gaulle. Although the action crisscrosses Europe, there's no postcard prettiness, just a sure grasp of the atmosphere of each place before getting down to the business of the scene. The supporting cast is also first rate, with Cyril Cusack, Michel Lonsdale and Tony Britton outstanding.

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7.8/10

How to watch

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Streaming

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Credits

Cast

rolenameThe JackalEdward FoxClaude LebelMichel LonsdaleMinisterAlan BadelInspector ThomasTony BrittonPresident General Charles de GaulleAdrien Cayla-LegrandGunsmithCyril CusackMallinsonDonald SindenCaronDerek JacobiColonel RodinEric PorterColette de MontpelierDelphine SeyrigDeniseOlga Georges-PicotBerthierTimothy West

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Crew

rolenameDirectorFred Zinnemann

Details

Theatrical distributor

Cinema International Corp. UK

Released on

1973-06-15

Languages

English | Italian | French

Guidance

Violence

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

News & features about The Day of the Jackal

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  The Day of the Jackal season 2 finally gets major update as new cast members revealed
  
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  Eddie Redmayne 'didn't want to mess with something brilliant' in new Day of the Jackal
  
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  Eddie Redmayne to star in The Day of the Jackal adaptation
  
  The Good Nurse star will lead and executive produce the forthcoming Sky and Peacock original series.

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