| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Edward Fox | ... | ||
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Terence Alexander | ... | |
| Michel Auclair | ... | ||
| Alan Badel | ... | ||
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Tony Britton | ... | |
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Denis Carey | ... | |
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Adrien Cayla-Legrand | ... |
The President
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| Cyril Cusack | ... | ||
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Maurice Denham | ... | |
| Vernon Dobtcheff | ... | ||
| Jacques François | ... |
Pascal
(as Jacques Francois)
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Olga Georges-Picot | ... | |
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Raymond Gérôme | ... |
Flavigny
(as Raymond Gerome)
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| Barrie Ingham | ... | ||
| Derek Jacobi | ... | ||
It is the early 60s in France. The remaining survivors of the aborted French Foreign Legion have made repeated attempts to kill DeGaulle. The result is that he is the most closely guarded man in the world. As a desperate act, they hire The Jackal, the code name for a hired killer who agrees to kill French President De Gaulle for half a million dollars. We watch his preparations which are so thorough we wonder how he could possibly fail even as we watch the French police attempt to pick up his trail. The situation is historically accurate. There were many such attempts and the film closely follows the plot of the book. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Easily one of my favorites, if not THE favorite. The cinematography is excellent, and has so many shots that seem to be done with long range or hidden cameras. This style makes the film seem so real! There is a scene in a market where the Jackal is shopping for disguises, and he (the actor Edward Fox), bumps into a woman shopping without turning to look or acknowledge her, that seems absolutely REAL. I don't know, but if I had to guess I would say that the camera was hidden and that she was not an actor, but a French woman out shopping. I would like to know more about the use of the public as 'extras' in this film. The story is excellent, and the implied menace of the classy Jackal is really excellent. 10/10!