The Jackal (1997)

An imprisoned I.R.A. fighter 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 & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	The Jackal
Richard Gere	...	Declan Mulqueen
Sidney Poitier	...	Preston
Diane Venora	...	Valentina Koslova
Mathilda May	...	Isabella
J.K. Simmons	...	Witherspoon
Richard Lineback	...	McMurphy
John Cunningham	...	Donald Brown
Jack Black	...	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

In Moscow, the FBI and their Russian counterpart, the MVD, are working on a joint mission to apprehend Russian mobster Ghazzi Murad specifically for the murder of Mayor Nikolai Semankho. During the arrest, they are forced to kill Ghazzi. Ghazzi's brother, Terek Murad, also a mobster, begins his own form of deadly retribution against the MVD for Ghazzi's death. But the FBI and MVD also get wind that Terek has hired an assassin by the code name Jackal to carry out a hit on a high profile but unknown American target for the Americans sticking their nose in Russian affairs. Intelligence points to that target being Donald Brown, the Director of the FBI. The Jackal is known only by name and reputation but no one in authority knows who he is, what he looks like or if he even really exists. They learn of only one person alive who they know has had ties to the Jackal: former Basque separatist Isabella Zanconia, whose whereabouts are unknown. As such, the FBI and MVD decide to turn to the one ...

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Plot Keywords:

mariachi band | scantily clad female | bikini | man kills a woman | man with no name | 

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Taglines:

How do you stop an assassin who has no identity?

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edward Fox is rumored to have rejected a cameo role.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 45 mins) Right before the Jackal jumps in front of the subway train, the train's shadow can be seen behind him. When he is making the jump, the shadow is gone.

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Quotes

Carter Preston: I wonder if we'll ever know who the hell he was.
Declan Mulqueen: We know all we need to. He was evil, he is dead. And he's gone. Nothing more matters.

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Alternate Versions

The Australian Theatrical version omitted the shot where The Jackal shoots Lamont's arm off in the testing scene, and removed the line in the nightclub scene in the beginning where Terak's brother calls Valentina a "scar-faced c**t". These cuts were made so the movie would achieve an M rating (recommended 15+ years). The full version was released on video with an MA rating (restricted 15+ years).

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Connections

Referenced in Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

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Soundtracks

Endtrack
Written by Grant Marshall (as Marshall), Robert Del Naja (as Del Haja), Andrew Vowles (as Vowles),
Sara Jay, Schwartz
Performed by Massive Attack
Courtesy of Circa Records Limited

User Reviews

Underrated

Solid thriller, with a good effort from Bruce Willis as the icy assasin. Has some good suspense & a terrific effort from Sydney Portier in support (I prolly just misspelled his name) Richard Gere as the hero leaves something to be desired though. Watch for a small role from Jack Black as well. All in all, worth a look.

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 USA:

$15,164,595, 16 November 1997

Gross USA:

$54,930,280

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$159,330,280

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:

2.39 : 1