The Jackal (1997)

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers (WGA):

Kenneth Ross (earlier screenplay Day of the Jackal)
Chuck Pfarrer (screen story)

Release Date:

14 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

How do you stop an assassin who has no identity?

Plot:

An imprisoned IRA sniper is freed to help stop a brutal, seemingly "faceless" assassin from completing his next job.

Plot Keywords:

Irish Republican Army | Villain Played By Lead Actor | Animal In Title | Korean Food | Remake Of French Film

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	The Jackal
Richard Gere	...	Declan Mulqueen
Sidney Poitier	...	FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston
Diane Venora	...	Major Valentina Koslova
Mathilda May	...	Isabella Zanconia
J.K. Simmons	...	FBI Agent T. I. Witherspoon
Richard Lineback	...	FBI Agent McMurphy
John Cunningham	...	FBI Director Donald Brown
Jack Black	...	Ian Lamont
Tess Harper	...	The First Lady
Leslie Phillips	...	Woolburton
Stephen Spinella	...	Douglas
Sophie Okonedo	...	Jamaican Girl
David Hayman	...	Terek Murad
Steve Bassett	...	George Decker

Also Known As:

Chacal, Le (France) (dubbed version)
Schakal, Der (Germany)
The Day of the Jackal (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | UK | France | Germany | Japan

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #35563) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | South Korea:15 (video rating) (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | Norway:18 (original rating) (1998) | Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Brazil:14 | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | Australia:M (original theatrical version) (cut version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Burnham Park Yacht Club - 1500 Linn White Drive, Near South Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Alphaville Films

Trivia:

Edward Fox is rumored to have rejected a cameo role (possibly the Leslie Phillips role, Woolburton).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Declan and the marine sniper are looking at the van, the latter says it is at 762 meters away, when it is clearly much closer. 762 meters are exactly 2500 feet. Perhaps they meant 76.2 meters.

Quotes:

Declan Mulqueen: A man like this doesn't make mistakes.
Valentina Koslova: No? They always make one somewhere. Isn't that how you were caught?
Carter Preston: Ouch.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "American Dad!: Tears of a Clooney (#1.23)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Star

Very under-rated film

I thought that this was an intelligent thriller that lived up to the original. I thought that willis portrayed the perfect cold-blooded assassin. Richard Gere did a fine job as well. Even though you can tell his cheesey accent is a fake. This is not an action movie, so if you're expecting cars and planes blowing up, it doesn't happen. Even though one car blows up. This is a thriller and a good one at that.