Of The Day Of The Jackal

The Day Of The Jackal

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/becomingthemuse/episodes/The-Day-Of-The-Jackal-Review-e30hqk7

The Day Of The Jackal is a British spy thriller television series, based on a Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name. The series premiered on the 7th of November 2024 and got renewed for a second season in its first month of running.

The series is a modern reimagination of the story about a deadly and ruthless assassin, known only as “the Jackal” and the intelligent officer obsessed with bringing him to justice.

The Good

Years ago when I first read The Day Of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth, I thought it was one of the coolest assassin books I had ever read, and The Jackal’s character was forever etched into my memory. Then I watched The Jackal a late 90s loose adaptation of the story starring Bruce Willis which didn’t do a particularly good job… This series manages to do the things that brought this character back to life and re-imagines the story in a present day setting.

Eddie Redmayne‘s portrayal of the Jackal is compelling, lending the character a cold ruthlessness tempered with an uncharacteristic empathy that belies a surprising depth of humanity. Yes, he is the bad guy, but you find yourself hoping that he gets away with it.

Eddie Redmayne as The Jackal

Lashana Lynch as Bianca Pullman plays her character so well that even though she’s the good guy she becomes the person you love to hate, for her ruthless pursuit of The Jackal that is obsessive and leaves collateral damage. You don’t want her to catch the The Jackal, so how will it play out…

Lashana Lynch as Bianca Pullman

It’s a thriller show which will keep you on the edge of your seat from its high octane opening sequence to the cat-and-mouse chase that unfolds between The Jackal and the agent out to get him.

https://twitter.com/Beatonm5/status/1864691291298152664

The Bad

While Lashana Lynch’s performance is great her character is abrasive and her story arc is under-developed, lacking the depth and intensity that The Jackal’s character has; given that we are suppose to relate to the two characters as being two sides of the same coin.

The pacing can get a bit erratic with some convoluted subplots  that dilute the tension and takeaway from the main plot without meaningful addition to the story or characters.

The Ugly

The villain is more likeable than the good guy, the show romanticises villainy making the assassin more humane than the agent trying to stop the assassin.

The Day Of The Jackal promotional photoshoot

I feel the show missed a moment to showcase what I think is one the most iconic twists in the novel, which was how Jackal is Chacal in French which was a combination of the assassin’s name Charles Calthrop… in the series he goes by the unassuming name of Alex Duggan.

Final Thoughts

The Day Of The Jackal offers a fresh take on a classic, with strong performances and moments of brilliance from the cast especially Eddie Redmayne who plays The Jackal.

Have you watched The Day Of The Jackal is it something you would watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shsIx-ZVL0E

Video Review

https://twitter.com/Beatonm5/status/1864708115381223704

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1j5fPZ40ksa65tBPNVLPIH?si=WN0r9_ehTz2smFkVwaR7rw