The Day of the Jackal: A Modern Thriller Starring Redmayne and Lynch

Ronan Bennett’s adaptation of Fred Zinnemann’s 1973 The Day of the Jackal brings a great perspective to this modern version. While essentially a national-level police investigation, it advances the story from two different perspectives.

The new series stars Eddie Redmayne as an unknown assassin who kills his victims in multiple identities. In a startling scene at the beginning of the story, we see his extraordinary skill in catching prey, in which he accomplishes his task in a strange manner.

He has such precision and awareness in carrying out this process that the whole scene seems to be orchestrated perfectly. This character is different, as he is on the one hand a precise and cunning killer, and on the other a loving father and husband in the family. His complexity is a big part of the story, humanizing the character to the audience.

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Eddie Redmayne’s character is on the one hand extremely cold and ruthless, and he only does killing as a job, showing no joy or excitement in it. This strange coldness makes his character mysterious and leaves viewers wondering why and how he plans each of his murders.

Contrasted with this is My 6 agent Bianca Pullman, who works hard to catch criminals and struggles to balance her personal life. Bianca’s character is brought to life by Lashana Lynch’s performance, where her tough nature and specific goal do not allow her to go after the criminal. The dilemma he faces between family and work makes him more realistic in the story.

The initial background in the story was the planned assassination against Charles the Gaul, which has been changed here to suit modern times. The character of Khal is now a wealthy man at the top of the tech business, which alludes to the modern capitalist world and makes the audience more connected to the story. This adaptation manages to retain the breathless thriller flavor of the original story, while simultaneously reflecting the reality of modern-day technology and corporate greed.

The ten-hour episode explores the relationship and conflict between The Jackal and Agent Bianca in depth, bringing more multidimensionality and complexity to the characters here than the brevity and impact of the original movie.

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Sniping, car chases, and excellent city chases throughout the story keep the audience on edge, especially the car chases in Croatia and the horse chases outside Budapest are superbly choreographed. Although at times some events do not match the reality and some plots seem to have been inserted just to increase the pace, it does not seem excessive to the audience.

The entire series is not only a breathtaking thriller but also a character study, with a cold-headed killer on one side and a member of the law enforcement force on the other, who are deeply involved in each other’s lives.

FAQ