FILMS - The Day of the Jackal

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, directed by Brian Kirck, Anthony Phillipson, Paul Wilmshurst, Anu Menon, 2024
A MASK, A BULLET, A FAMILY: THE JACKAL’S NEW LIFE

As is usually the case, stories about hired killers are full of details, precise measurements, concentration, sophisticated weapons and ingenious solutions for eliminating extra-protected 'moving targets'. The Jackal as a film character is not only the pinnacle of it all: an extraordinary sniper and a chameleon among killers, but also a well-developed character, around whom a rich narrative fabric is exquisitely interwoven and well-rhythmically set. He is ruthless, and quite unexpectedly, he is also a family man who adores his wife Nuria, to whom he gave a beautiful villa. We learn about the brutal military past that started his career only briefly in passing, appearing as his, in fact, traumatic memories. Although the Jackal is an enigma and mystical, the family and paternal details make him emotionally more accessible and real, and the idea that his wife even helps him when he is completely overwhelmed makes him an even more sympathetic good-natured character.

Eddie Redmayne brings all of this together in a complexly formulated character, in which the consequences of the life he led and the life he currently leads are gradually revealed. In the first episode, he is revealed through a chilling and effective mask removal sequence, which is an excellent introduction to a story of rapid identity swaps, precise shots and moral schisms. The Jackal's first goal is to eliminate a populist politician in Munich, which attracts the attention of British intelligence officers, including Bianca, a weapons expert. 

MI6 initially refuses to believe that such a shot can even be carried out, especially since the Jackal works with immense precision, without caring about any collateral damage. As she becomes increasingly preoccupied with the Jackal and his moves, Bianca's family, and thus her private life, begin to fall apart, given how much time, energy and commitment it takes to study his moves, his intricate and apparently deliberately concealed past, and to compete with colleagues and superiors to solve the operation. This is where Bianca's well-formulated character comes into play, as her healthy, yet terrier-like determination and stubborn persistence lead to a tragic end. The way she ends as a character is excellently set and functionally integrated into the narrative centered on a modern serial killer of the highest caliber.

The narrative about the Jackal returns in a renewed version of the classic novel by writer Frederick Forsyth. Our present-day Jackal is set in the contemporary world of global politics, espionage, the corporate underworld, and the dark web. In addition to the literary model, the plot of the series is also based on the 1973 thriller directed by Fred Zinnemann. In addition to this cult thriller, the novel has also been adapted into the films "August 1" (1988) and "The Jackal" (1997).

The opening episode is tense, focused, and very elegantly directed. As the season progresses, the series' plot becomes entangled in too many locations, is overwhelmed by too many characters, a bunch of "incidental" murders, and the depth that constantly emerges, although it mostly remains on the surface, occasionally gains an extremely strong psychological and socio-political context. From this perspective, the extremely irritating characters of Nuria's wife's brother, the lazy Alvaro, and their mother are excellently placed.

The Jackal's ultimate goal is to eliminate a media and technology magnate of the hipster generation who builds his business profile and entire lifestyle by creating an algorithm that tracks money around the world. Of course, as it sounds and actually is, it is a false "socialist" backdrop behind which personal gain and glittering feathers are hidden, primarily adorning himself, successfully selling the idea that he wants all people to be equal and all assets to be transparent. He is wanted by some very similar to him, but players with completely different manners and more old-fashioned approaches to work and problems. "The Day of the Jackal" is full of adrenaline, stylized action and Redmayne's precision, and it keeps the attention, and constantly finds new sympathy for this multifaceted complex character, whom he embodies excellently.

The idea and technology of 3D printing are used excellently to produce weapons, with which the Jackal always hits his targets, and the alloys of the materials, as well as the methods of transmission, are such that the parts of the weapon cannot be detected during security checks at airport scanners. The many-named character of the Jackal, torn between the grayness of the world of killing and the light of a family idyll, perfectly conveys how miserable he is in this duality and how the cold-bloodedness with which he is forced to carry out his tasks simultaneously moves and inspires him, but also systematically grinds him down from the inside and outside. But then again, that is the only thing he knows how to do and the way he does it is so unique. It is also perfectly presented how all these important worldly figures who constantly need him, exactly as he is, have shaped him for their own needs, while what reaches him personally is that he himself has never thought about the background to all this, but has just masterfully, in silence, prepared and with deep concentration, done his job.