I know most reviews are about how Edward Fox played the Jackal as an enigmatic assassin whose true identity was never known, he is buried at the end of the film in an unmarked grave and the person whose identity he stole earlier in the film is alive and well in London, but the best role among the supporting cast is that of Ronald Pickup as the Italian forger.
Pickup, a classically trained actor who could play anyone from the Archbishop of Canterbury in The Crown to a character in Coronation St, really shone in his role as a forger who is entrusted with providing The Jackal with forged ID, driving documents and an altered appearance. The forger, whose name is never revealed, lives in a squalid apartment block in Genoa, which he finds ideal for his work as it makes him more anonymous. Also suggested in the film, he makes the bulk of his living from pornography, as his flat contains a photo processing lab and prints of naked women
A thoroughly dislikeable character who stands out in The Day Of The Jackal, the forger is a shifty, greedy and sleazy individual whose greasy hair, black shirt and flowery tie make him stand out, and his mention of trying to get out of military service comes as no surprise. Also his dingy and decrepit flat with its pornography makes him look even sleazier. Originally demanding £ 300( about £ 5000 in today's money) and the Jackal's original passport and driver's licence to carry out his work, the Jackal warns him that he wants the originals back and never to mention his work. However,on a second visit, the forger's greed takes over and he forgets that the Jackal is a highly trained killer with or without weapons and he demands another £ 1000 for the Jackal's original passport and drivers licence. Suddenly the Jackal after tiring of the blackmail and the forger's sarcastic comments about dealing with an English gentlemen breaks his neck with a karate blow and dumps him in a casket.
To me, these scenes and Pickup's role as a dubious criminal who is out of his league and is dispensed with by an unemotional Jackal are the best in the film. Obviously The Day Of The Jackal is a fantastic thriller, based partly on true events( there was an attempt on President De Gaulle's life in 1962 in real life by French Algerian refugees and their sympathisers), and it truly deserved its Oscar, but I think without Ronald Pickup, it would have been poorer.
Pickup, a classically trained actor who could play anyone from the Archbishop of Canterbury in The Crown to a character in Coronation St, really shone in his role as a forger who is entrusted with providing The Jackal with forged ID, driving documents and an altered appearance. The forger, whose name is never revealed, lives in a squalid apartment block in Genoa, which he finds ideal for his work as it makes him more anonymous. Also suggested in the film, he makes the bulk of his living from pornography, as his flat contains a photo processing lab and prints of naked women
A thoroughly dislikeable character who stands out in The Day Of The Jackal, the forger is a shifty, greedy and sleazy individual whose greasy hair, black shirt and flowery tie make him stand out, and his mention of trying to get out of military service comes as no surprise. Also his dingy and decrepit flat with its pornography makes him look even sleazier. Originally demanding £ 300( about £ 5000 in today's money) and the Jackal's original passport and driver's licence to carry out his work, the Jackal warns him that he wants the originals back and never to mention his work. However,on a second visit, the forger's greed takes over and he forgets that the Jackal is a highly trained killer with or without weapons and he demands another £ 1000 for the Jackal's original passport and drivers licence. Suddenly the Jackal after tiring of the blackmail and the forger's sarcastic comments about dealing with an English gentlemen breaks his neck with a karate blow and dumps him in a casket.
To me, these scenes and Pickup's role as a dubious criminal who is out of his league and is dispensed with by an unemotional Jackal are the best in the film. Obviously The Day Of The Jackal is a fantastic thriller, based partly on true events( there was an attempt on President De Gaulle's life in 1962 in real life by French Algerian refugees and their sympathisers), and it truly deserved its Oscar, but I think without Ronald Pickup, it would have been poorer.