As a huge fan of the original 1973 film, I was fascinated with the current ten episode series THE DAY OF THE JACKAL on Peacock.
It's clear that creator Ronan Bennett has reverence for the Fred Zinnemann's brilliant original, as he's loaded the episodes with enjoyable references big and small.
Edward Fox was The Jackal in the 1973 version, the epitome of English class and efficiency as a contract killer that left no loose ends, no matter how personal.
Nearly 50 years later, we have the superbly cast Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables, The Theory of Everything) as The Jackal. As you can imagine, ten hours leaves a lot of breathing room for fleshing out the man behind the gun. Redmayne gives our killer many faces, both literally as a master of disguise, and in his personal life. The Jackal now has a wife and a young son, putting an entirely new spin on things.
In addition, in 2024, he's more apt to leave you alive if you aren't part of the mission, a notion that never would have entered Fox's head.
Lashana Lynch (No Time To Die, Bob Marley: One Love) is excellent as Bianca, the young MI-6 British Intelligence officer hot on the trail of the hit man. As the series opens, Bianca feels like a desk agent, but as she aggressively and successfully inserts herself in the case, she proves very resourceful brandishing fists and guns. Lynch was very good in her OO7 and Marvel appearances, but she creates a full blooded character here.
Bennett and his creative team do an amazing job juggling the personal lives of our two protagonists, deftly balancing their challenging home drama and the globe hopping chase between them.
The Jackal's kills are high profile men, but none higher than his latest target, Ulla Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla), a wealthy visionary and inventor whose new software release is about to redistribute wealth on a massive scale. With world financial markets in jeopardy, the lines between the good guys and the bad guys get very murky.
The reliably excellent Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, Alien 3) steals every scene he's in as a Manhattan financial power broker pulling the strings on just about every angle.
Lia Williams (Living) is excellent as Isabel, the senior MI-6 contact overseeing the mission as well as Bianca's direct boss, Osita (Chukwudi Iwuji). WIlliams and Iwuji create two very complicated MI-6 bosses that left me guessing right up to the final scene.
Ursula Corbero is an enigma as The Jackal's wife, whose passion and curiosity about her husband grows more dangerous with each episode. She's terrific in the role and left me dazed and confused. The only thing more fluid than her loyalties are her plans. Fascinating new character.
The ten episodes span numerous targets and countless countries. The global photography led by Christopher Ross (Shogun, 2024) is stunning, capturing the nuances of each location. From rich countryside estates with pools hanging off of cliffs to castles and narrow back alleys, everything looks fantastic.
Let's get back to those easter eggs. I could run the scenes of The Jackal testing out his new custom rifle on a watermelon from the 1973 and 2024 versions side by side and they'll be close to mirror images.
Costumes worn by Redmayne and Fox are identical. The white Alfa Romeo looks very familiar. For fans of the source material, it's a blast seeing similarities unfold.
We couldn't stop watching the series, binging all ten episodes in less than a day. Once it starts, it's like the original book by Frederick Forsyth that it's based on, impossible to walk away from.
As you can imagine, this long format leaves the original story far behind. While some moments are close matches, some major events are dramatically different.
The tension of the final target and the aftermath keep you on the edge of your seat until the last moments.
I've seen some online chatter that Lynch was miscast. I don't get it. She's great in the part, carrying the weight of her personal life on her shoulders as she faces off against the world's greatest assassin. She's believable in every scene.
Redmayne is terrific. He's as adept with masks as Ethan Hunt and his team in the Mission Impossible films, but the most amazing mask is the one he wears in his everyday appearance.There's a lot brewing beneath that staid English exterior. When it explodes, you feel it.
DAY OF THE JACKAL gets an A-.
PS: Avoid the horrible 1997 remake, "The Jackal" with Richard Gere and Bruce Willis and leave it in the trash where it belongs. It's such a travesty, it even manages to waste Sidney Poitier in a key role. Blech. 1973 and 2024 both delivered vintage Jackals.
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