Day of the Jackal–Hunt or Be Hunted
In this Peacock mini-series released November 2024, British assassin-for-hire and super-sniper is known only as the “Jackal” by police and those paying him millions. Of course, he has multiple aliases and disguises. An update of Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel and the 1973 movie, Day of the Jackal is a modern high-stakes thriller of international politics, espionage, and the dark web. It is not a sequel to the movie.
A cold-blooded, shapeshifting chameleon, the Jackal (Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything” and nominated for “The Danish Girl”) masterminds assassination assignments beyond the usual sniper’s capabilities. Is he a dispassionate, killing machine? After all, he has a beautiful wife, Nuria (Úrsula Corberó) and a little boy waiting for him in Capiz, Spain. Eventually, Nuria’s curiosity about where her husband keeps disappearing and what is the nature of his work become threatening obstacles for even his strategic genius to overcome.
MI6 believes no task is beyond their acumen. Bianca Pullman ( Lashana Lynch) is an expert in logistics, munitions, and ballistic analysis. With little support from her supervisor, she is convinced that she can track down the perpetrator and his customized firearm. Bianca also is hiding the real danger of her work from her husband and teenage daughter. Making connections her colleagues do not, Bianca also utilizes noncompliant tactics to further her investigation. Both Bianca and the Jackal leave a trail of destruction and death in their obsession to outmaneuver each other.
One of the more intriguing minor plots in Day of the Jackal is Jackal’s backstory, and why he left the army during an Afghanistan war assignment to become a highly-paid killer for hire. The truth of his internal motivations contributes to his dynamic, layered character development.
Like other prestige television mini-series, there often is sag: too many ridiculously-long car chases, miraculous escapes from death from explosion and gun fights, and close-ups of faces dealing with how to outmaneuver the hunter and become the hunter, not the hunted. Day of the Jackal could be a tightly written two-hour drama, instead of ten hours. Nonetheless, Day of the Jackal has enough masterful narratives to be a benchmark of excellence in the action genre of film-making.
A must-watch for the turbo-charged twin engines of Redmayne and Lynch’s performances flying off of each other, matching each other beat by beat. The entire cast deserves a standing ovation for bravado and layered performances, especially Redmayne’s wounded warrior turned psychopath and Lynch’s police officer trying to balance family and work.
Bravo!
Availability: Peacock
Note: Season 2 has been green-lit.