The Jackal (1997)

An imprisoned IRA sniper is freed to help stop a brutal, seemingly "faceless" assassin from completing his next job.

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

Kenneth Ross (earlier screenplay Day of the Jackal), Chuck Pfarrer (screen story),

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	The Jackal
Richard Gere	...	Declan Mulqueen
Sidney Poitier	...	FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston
Diane Venora	...	Major Valentina Koslova
Mathilda May	...	Isabella Zanconia
J.K. Simmons	...	FBI Agent T. I. Witherspoon
Richard Lineback	...	FBI Agent McMurphy
John Cunningham	...	FBI Director Donald Brown
Jack Black	...	Ian Lamont
Tess Harper	...	The First Lady
Leslie Phillips	...	Woolburton
Stephen Spinella	...	Douglas
Sophie Okonedo	...	Jamaican Girl
David Hayman	...	Terek Murad
Steve Bassett	...	George Decker

Storyline

Russian mobster Terek Murad has declared open season on the Russian militia and the United States FBI over the shooting of his brother in a Moscow nightclub. He hires "The Jackal" -- an elusive, nasty assassin -- to kill FBI Director Donald Brown. Present at the shooting of Murad's brother were FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston and Major Valentina Koslova of the Russian militia. Nearly no one has ever seen The Jackal, save for Declan Mulqueen, an imprisoned IRA sniper. Upon learning that the Director Brown is a target, Preston and Koslova enlist the services of the reluctant Mulqueen to track down the Jackal before he can assassinate Brown.

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Plot Keywords:

fbi | jackal | russian | ira | sniper | 

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Taglines:

How do you stop an assassin who has no identity?

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA UK France Germany Japan

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

14 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Day of the Jackal

Filming Locations:

Carolco Studios, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 4,764,153 (Germany) (13 March 1998)

Gross:

DEM 15,218,058 (Germany) (3 April 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Mutual Film Company, Alphaville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS DTS-Stereo Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Richard Gere and Diane Venora worked with language coaches to develop their accents.

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Goofs

Declan is suddenly clean-shaven after diving into the water at the marina.

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Quotes

[the Jackal shoots and blows Lamont's arm off]
The Jackal: [referring to the aim of the gun] I told you it was off!

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Connections

Referenced in 20 to 1: Hollywood's Hot List (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Star"
Written by Bobby Gillespie (as B. Gillespie), Robert Young (as R. Young),
Martin Duffy (as M. Duffy), Andrew Innes (as A. Innes)
Performed by Primal Scream
Courtesy of Creation Records Ltd./Sony Independent Network Europe/Reprise Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Tense, fast-paced, but sort of ordinary suspense thriller

You can't really approach this as a remake of the classic 'The Day of The Jackal.' Though broadly similar, the entire feel of the two films is incomparable. And suspense thrillers are all about "the feel" aren't they?

The story is pretty standard fair - a super villain assassin (Willis) is going to make a big kill using a huge weapon and leaving a trail of bodies along the way. Gere, an IRA soldier (jailed for "terrorism") is brought on as consultant because he is one of the few people who has seen 'the Jackal", and given a few vague promises in exchange for his help. As it turns out, Gere has more than just knowledge - he has a vendetta. Poitier oversees Gere and the investigation of Willis, and comes to realize that Gere is the only hope of stopping him.

I like Sidney Poitier, Bruce Willis and Richard Gere, so I was predisposed to like this film. I was neither very surprised nor disappointed. The Jackal is entertaining and the performances are strong. Poitier is always a class act, and Willis and Gere have terrific anti-chemistry. There's nothing wrong with the cinematography or directing, and the pace of the film, though a little breathless, is fine. Regardless, the story-line never reached much beyond the ordinary thriller fare. Making a truly great thriller requires either doing something really original (very hard to do) or using a truly inspired script. This film's script is decent, but the story line could have used a little more careful thought and a bit more complexity.