IMDb > The Day of the Jackal (1973)
The Day of the Jackal
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The Day of the Jackal (1973) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 3 NEW)
The Day of the Jackal (1973) -- A professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" plots to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France.
The Day of the Jackal (1973) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Day of the Jackal (1973) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   12,510 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Fred Zinnemann
Writers:
Frederick Forsyth (book)
Kenneth Ross (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Day of the Jackal on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 July 1973 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
The Jackal spent 71 days,56 minutes thinking a bullet into the brain of de Gaulle more
Plot:
A professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" plots to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 10 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
What are the 25 Best Book to Film Adaptations?
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 10 September 2009, 4:46 AM, PDT)

Critics Can't Kill Jackal
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 17 November 1997)

User Comments:
One of the finest thrillers ever made more (144 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Edward Fox ... The Jackal
Terence Alexander ... Lloyd
Michel Auclair ... Colonel Rolland
Alan Badel ... The Minister
Tony Britton ... Inspector Thomas
Denis Carey ... Casson
Adrien Cayla-Legrand ... The President
Cyril Cusack ... The Gunsmith
Maurice Denham ... General Colbert

Vernon Dobtcheff ... The Interrogator
Jacques François ... Pascal (as Jacques Francois)
Olga Georges-Picot ... Denise
Raymond Gérôme ... Flavigny (as Raymond Gerome)
Barrie Ingham ... St. Clair

Derek Jacobi ... Caron
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Chacal (France)
more
Runtime:
143 min
Country:
UK | France
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Though the film was not a box office success, it received generally excellent reviews and made Edward Fox much in demand in films and on television. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the Jackal parks the blue car (he had stolen from Madame DE Montpelier) between two others vehicles there is absolutely no space for him to move out from the drivers seat. But in the next shot we find him easily maneuvering himself out. more
Quotes:
Mallinson: The prime minister?
Insp. Thomas: The prime minster, sir. That he said if there's the remotest possibility of General de Gaulle's life being threatened by a person of these islands, then it is to be stopped. And he's given me full powers and top priority.
Mallinson: Is this some kind of bloody joke?
Insp. Thomas: No, of couse not, sir. I've got to drop whatever I'm doing, and I shall need six of your best men, straight away.
Mallinson: Where's the notification for all this? Where's the proper authority?
[Telephone rings. Mallison answers]
Mallinson: Yes!
[Mallison listens then rises]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) more

FAQ

Is Charles Calthrop The Jackal?
Is the film based on a true story?
How does the movie differ from the book?
more
82 out of 96 people found the following comment useful.
One of the finest thrillers ever made, 15 May 2001
9/10
Author: dgriffiths from Leicester, England

The opening five minutes of the film are a marvel. Almost completely devoid of dialogue the scenes portray visually more story than most modern thrillers can fit into two hours. This is about the best book-to-film conversion I've ever seen. The cuts, where they are made, are logical and some locations are combined. From Forsyth's first, and probably best book (written in less than 5 weeks) this film contains nothing that does not drive the story forward. The character of the Jackal is brilliantly finely drawn. He doesn't contain any of the cliches that you would expect to see in a film written in the last twenty years (he doesn't display mental instability, or have flashbacks to some event in his past). He never tries to justify his pernicious occupation to anyone yet, strangely, doesn't come across as an evil man. Simply as a professional doing his job. The French police inspector is wonderfully underplayed and is as far away from the he-breaks-the-rules-but-he-gets-the-job-done cliche as you can possibly imagine. He is first seen attending to his pigeons and upon being told he is being put on the case simply says "Oh God..."....

Zimmemann's direction is great and the scenes are beautifully photographed - particularly in Paris.

This is an all-time great film. Definitely in my top ten. I suppose I must put something in negative so it makes for a balanced review so errr.... I think the French minister is wearing a very bad wig. Beyond that -marvelous.

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