The Day of the Jackal

The Day of the Jackal
by Frederick Forsyth [DVD Day]

This movie is based on a novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. Forsyth's novel is the gold standard of the thriller genre. Director Fred Zimmerman stays true to the plot of the book and creates a first-rate movie. The Jackal (Edward Fox) is an assassin who is a master of disguise with ice water running through his veins. He is a meticulous planner. It is these traits that make him the perfect choice for the OAS who wants to assassinate De Gaulle. To give you some background if you have not read this fine novel — President Charles De Gaulle angered some by granting Algeria its freedom in 1962. A secret group within the army called itself the Secret Army Organization, or OAS for short, launched a series of assassination attempts on De Gaulle. The French Secret Service foiled all of the attacks and arrested the leaders. A new leader emerged and he hired a man who went by the code name of Jackal to kill De Gaulle. This low-key thriller takes us into the minds of the Jackal and the quiet, unassuming detective who is assigned to capture him. We watch the Jackal meticulously plan the murder and overcome unexpected obstacles while Detective Lebel uses his informal network of foreign intelligence and police contacts to identify and trace the Jackal's myriad of aliases. [Note: Remade in 1997 as The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere and Sidney Poitier.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in print format, 1997 remake formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.