Customer Reviews
Good movie good price ! 
2008-06-25
It might start out slow ,but it turns into a great thriller at the end. Characters were enjoyable, of course the Jackal and his disguises are really cool..if you read the other reviews you know the story. If you have never seen it I would say but it as it is only 7.00 new....and give it a shot..
Best Cat and Mouse - Detective vs. Would-be Assassin Movie 
2008-06-20
Forget the Willis remake (which was awful). This original film version of The Day of the Jackal manages to be faithful to the novel & even surpass it, primarily due to the acting skills of the cast, in particular Michel Lonsdale as the French detective trying to catch assassin Edward Fox before he kills DeGaulle.
Even though you know DeGaulle won't be killed, the movie pulls you in and keeps you watching as you find yourself wanting to see just how far the Jackal (Fox) will get in his quest - and how successful Detective Label (Lonsdale) will be in catching him. Twists and turns, lots of near misses, and a nice little kick at the end.
Despite the length of the movie, it never seems long at all. I loaned the book to my father-in-law a year or so ago, and he enjoyed it so much that I then loaned him the dvd, which he liked even better.
Those Whacky French 2008-03-28
I've always enjoyed Forsyth's books, particularly "The Odessa File". This movie is a classic, but I hadn't seen it in a while. I was amused to go back to it after all of these years and catch some ridiculous errors that would not fly in this day and age. People being killed by a single karate chop, a women being strangled to death in about 3 seconds with no struggle...and why did all of these French characters have English accents? Never the less, it still is a great story and an enjoyable movie that gives insight into a post-war / cold-war Europe of which modern Americans have little understanding.
The day of the Jackal 2008-03-11
This video is excellent! It is as close as possible to the book,without it going over 4 hrs in length.Keeps you at the edge of your seat,wondering if the Jackal will forfill his contract or take the money and run!Outstanding!
One of the great detective movies. 2008-03-08
Because Frederick Forsyth does so much research for his books, The Day of the Jackal doesn't dip into fantasy; it gives us an accurate look at a part of French history that many people know nothing about. The movie is quite faithful to the novel, the acting is excellent, if a little low-key in places, and the tension builds nicely as the police close in on the would-be assassin via some solid and sometimes brilliant detective work. A movie worth seeing, one of my favourites but, unfortunately, not very well-known to most people.
Great Movie... too bad... 
2008-02-16
With its high-intensity plot about an attempt to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle, the bestselling novel by Frederick Forsyth was a prime candidate for screen adaptation. Director Fred Zinnemann brought his veteran skills to bear on what has become a timeless classic of screen suspense. Not to be confused with the later remake
The Jackal starring Bruce Willis (which shamelessly embraced all the bombast that Zinnemann so wisely avoided), this 1973 thriller opts for lethal elegance and low-key tenacity in the form of the Jackal, the suave assassin played with consummate British coolness by Edward Fox. He's a killer of the highest order, a master of disguise and international elusiveness, and this riveting film follows his path to de Gaulle with an intense, straightforward documentary style. Perhaps one of the last great films from a bygone age of pure, down-to-basics suspense (and a kind of debonair European alternative to the American grittiness of
The French Connection),
The Day of the Jackal is a cat-and-mouse thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until its brilliantly executed final scene (pardon the pun), by which time Fox has achieved cinematic immortality as one of the screen's most memorable killers.
--Jeff Shannon
Excellent movie! 2008-01-18
This film is perhaps a bit dated, but representative of the book, unlike the recent remake 'The Jackal', which, although an excellent spy thriller, doesn't measure up to the acting/direction of the original.
Five Stars for Sure! 2008-01-15
This is an excellent movie--five stars for sure. It is well-crafted and the details are fascinating. I saw this movie for the first time in 1974 and never forgot it. I've purchased it several times over the years to give as gifts for friends and family. I cannot recommend this film enough. If you purchase this DVD, I bet you will keep it in your library a very long time.
Superb and meticulously etched thriller 2008-01-09
The outstanding script to this movie is by Kenneth Ross and one reason the picture works so well is its scrupulous adherence to the source novel ,not only in broad outline but in precise detail.Detail is why the book worked and it why this movie does as well .
The plot revolves around an attempt to asassinate Charles de Gaulle ,a plot set in motion by a renegade French para-military group unhappy with his plans for Algerian independence .They hire a contract killer known by the code name Jackal (Edward Fox)to carry out the deed .The French police get wind of the plan and under the leadership of Colonel Rolland (Michel Lonsdale)set out to stop the Jackal before he can execute his plan .The intricate storyline switches between tow strands -the Jackal going about his plans ,nailing down the details and preparing the ground ,and the police team's efforts to identify and then stop him .The locale moves from city to city but thankfully with nary a hint of the travelogue or any excess limgering on scenery to create ambience .This is by contrast a movie that moves- thanks to BAFTA winning editing from the admirable Ralph Kempen and the taut suspenseful direction from veteran director Fred Zinnemann .
The movie works through methodical accumulation of detail and the plan has the ring of authenticity as does the whole movie.fox is outstanding as the methodical but heartless Jackal and his performance is the ramrod of the movie .He eschews any bid for sympathy or "anti-hero"status -this is a cold unlikeable man .Lonsdale is also fine as the pursuer and achieves the hard task of making a dull but dedicated man into a hero whose job is his life.
This is the way to make a thriller without car chases or CGI -just a battle of wits and will between two powerful adversaries .It is a superb movie, a suspense filled political thriller from the top drawer
Day of the Jackal!! 2008-01-02
A Classic!!!! This film is a benchmark for espionage films. Charles Fox is brilliant as the assassin, charming, ruthless, a complete professional. Michael Lonsdale is understated, in reality, dogged, methodical and totally professional in his pursuit of the "Jackal". Look for Derek Jacobi as his aide. A must-have for any classic film collection.
