The Jackal (1997)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

14 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

How do you stop an assassin who has no identity?

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Jackal | Assassin | FBI | IRA | Major

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Der Schakal (Germany)
Le chacal (France) (dubbed version)
The Day of the Jackal (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | UK | France | Germany | Japan

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | DTS-Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #35563) | South Korea:15 (video rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Norway:18 (original rating) (1998) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Brazil:14 | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | Australia:M (original theatrical version) (cut version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Burnham Park Yacht Club - 1500 Linn White Drive, Near South Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Alphaville Films

Trivia:

"Endtrack" by Massive Attack, the song that plays over the end credits, is actually an alternate remix of their song "Dissolved Girl".

Goofs:

Continuity: Smoke from the muzzle of the Jackal's weapon when he points it at Lamont.

Quotes:

[to FBI Director Brown, about the Jackal]
Declan Mulqueen: This man is no clown. He knows all your moves, back to front. Right now, you've got a name; that's all you've got. The Jackal has got a target: you. He's got a timetable. And as to making mistakes, he's spent twenty years in a trade that doesn't forgive error. And he's prevailed. You think he's the one who's up against it? It's the other way around.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'The Jackal' (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

It's Over, It's Under

Very under-rated film

I thought that this was an intelligent thriller that lived up to the original. I thought that willis portrayed the perfect cold-blooded assassin. Richard Gere did a fine job as well. Even though you can tell his cheesey accent is a fake. This is not an action movie, so if you're expecting cars and planes blowing up, it doesn't happen. Even though one car blows up. This is a thriller and a good one at that.