The Day of the Jackal

Plot synopsis:
The film begins in the stormy period of 1962, France, where an assassination plot is attempted on Colonel Charles de Gaulle, the French President. De Gaulle had granted the country of Algeria independence, a decision that enraged many French citizens. Many of them, mostly fanatics and extremists from the army, forced an underground organization called the Organisation de l'armée secrète, which put the plot in place. As the Presidents car passes by a group of OAS agents, headed by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiery, open fire on the vehicle; a number of bullets shatter and enter the vehicle, but not a single of them make a mark on de Gaulle or anyone else inside. Six months later, Bastien-Thiery and the other conspirators in the plot are captured. Bastien-Thiery's lawyer makes a stay of execution, but it is turned down, and the next morning, Bastien-Thiery is executed by firing squad.The top members of the OAS, Colonel Rodin, manager Casson and treasurer Montclair take stock, and realize that they cannot make any move as they will constantly be watched and identified: the OAS is planted with snitches who will watch every members move, and each member has had their complete details archived. Rodin realizes that what they need is a foreigner, someone whom no one in France has seen and has no record.Three months later, Rodin has succeeded in finding the right individual, an Englishman with a short but impeccable record. He invites him to Vienna for an interview by the three OAS leaders. The Englishman is smart, enigmatic and cold-blooded; he points out the need for an outsider to assassinate de Gaulle, given that the other attempt failed and that informers within the OAS have crippled the organization. He accepts the job, but asks a fee of $500,000 (a huge sum back then), citing De Gaulle's first-class security and that the job is an once-in-a-lifetime assignment and certainly to be his last. He demands utmost secrecy and anonymity, and asks that no one but the four of them know of this project and that he work completely by himself. He takes the codename the Jackal, and takes his leave of the OAS heads; his farewell is observed by Rodins bodyguard and adjutant Victor Wolenski.The Jackal begins his preparations: he researches extensively on his target, he acquires two false passports, he pays a visit to Paris to acquire a good shooting location, and he contacts two individuals in Belgium. The first is an armorer whom he commissions to build a special rifle; the second is a forger from whom he requires special French documents.Later on, the Jackal receives an OAS contact named Valmy that will inform him of any developments regarding the President. Around the same time, the OAS sends a female agent named Denise to bed a high-ranking French politician. Two weeks after visiting the armorer and forger, he returns to acquire his purchases. He is satisfied with the gun the armorer has made, and a trial of the rifle goes well; the forger on the other hand tries to blackmail him over his papers, and the Jackal snaps his neck.All his plans complete, he leaves for France under the name of Paul Oliver Duggan.Meanwhile, to raise money to pay the Jackal, the OAS stages a number of bank robberies across Paris. The robberies range from late night burglaries to daylight ambushes of armored cars. This sudden crime wave is noticed by the French Action Service (the French espionage branch), and although several of the robbers are captured, they are hired thugs who only know that they've been ordered to carry out these robberies on behalf of the OAS.The Action Service's suspicions grow when they learn that Rodin and his associates have suddenly secluded themselves in the Hotel Garibaldi, in Rome, which is owned by an OAS sympathizer. They observe that they are being attended to by Wolenski; they abduct him off the street while he's walking to the post office to pick up mail, load him into the back of a truck and drive him to an airfield, where he's then flown to Paris in a small propeller plane. They interrogate and torture him to death, but all they get is that a blond killer named Jackal visited his superiors. This however is enough to deduce that this Jackal has been contracted to shoot De Gaulle.The French Interior Minister asks for an interview with De Gaulle, but his demand for secrecy is rebuffed; de Gaulle is a proud man who refuses to go into hiding or shield himself. The Interior Minister instead convenes a secret council to deal with the Jackal, which includes high-ranking individuals like Police Commissioner Berthier and Colonel St-Clair. Berthier states that because of the Jackals anonymity from even his own employers, no one has a clue where to start looking for him; the key to finding and stopping the Jackal thus is to establish his identity. He recommends his own deputy, Inspector Claude Lebel, as the best detective in France and ideal for the job of uncovering the Jackal.Lebel, a mild-mannered but tenacious policeman, is summoned to the council. He is given access to every resource available, but he is asked to keep things secret, and that he succeeds. Lebel brings in his assistant Caron to help him out, and the two get to work contacting the heads of police agencies abroad. Meanwhile, St-Clair arrives home and pours out everything about the situation to his mistress, Denise. She later slips off and phones Valmy...Over in London, enquiries are being headed by Inspector Thomas, who has been given express authority by the Prime Minister to make full investigations regarding the Jackal (ensuring that he not be English, or if he is to be stopped). The British police come up with two things that they pass over to Lebel. Firstly, that there was a suspicious character named Charles Calthrop who was in the Dominican Republic around the time its dictator Trujillo was assassinated (Jackal in French is chacal, the word formed from the first three letters of each name); a search on Calthrop's home reveals he is absent. Second and more worryingly, a review of all passport applications reveals that one was made for one Paul Oliver Duggan, who had died at the age of two.Meanwhile, the Jackal learns from Valmy that his assignment is blown, but decides to continue on regardless. He makes it to a hotel at Grasse, where he spends the night charming and seducing a fellow guest, Baroness Collette de Montpellier.The next morning the hotel records are taken and scanned, as is French custom (and more urgently than usual). Presently Duggan's name is spotted and immediately Lebel orders forces on the hotel and he heads over there himself. They find no sign of the Jackal, him having already left the hotel (something Lebel finds strange), but they learn that the Baroness's bed had been slept in by two people. Lebel interviews the Baroness, but she denies knowing a thing about the man.The Jackals quick getaway before the police arrive is cut short by accidentally crashing his car. He decides to head for the Baroness's estate, where she takes him in. That night she tells him the police were looking for him, but promises she wont say anything if he tells her what hes about; in response, he strangles her. He takes on a new disguise and identity of bespectacled Danish pastor Per Lundqvist, and quickly but quietly leaves. He heads to Tulle station in the Baronesss car and catches a train to Paris. Hours later, the servants discover the Baroness's body.Lebel reports the failure of catching the Jackal and the murder of Madame de Montpellier, and notes that he could not have escaped unless he had been forewarned and that he now has the identity of a Danish pastor (having traced the car to the station and questioned the station authorities). He also notes that the murder means he can do away with secrecy and initiate a public manhunt. A police squad heads to Paris station to intercept the Jackal, but they arrive a few minutes too late. Lebel sends police to check every hotel in Paris, but the Jackal evades them by entering a Turkish bathhouse and being picked up by a French homosexual.Lebel uses a phone tap to discern that Denise is the OAS spy thats been tipping off the Jackal. He presents a recording of her phone call to the council, and St-Clair leaves (he later commits suicide); he'd tapped all the phones of the council members, having had suspicions about the Jackal being forewarned. Afterwards, he works out that the Jackal will strike in two days, or August 25, 1963 which is Liberation Day, the anniversary of France's liberation from Nazi Germany. De Gaulle, as a World War II veteran, is sure to make a public appearance on that day no matter what the threat, and the council disbands, intending to make all attempts to find the Jackal before then.Meanwhile, the Jackal kills the homosexual when he sees a public broadcast about Per Lundqvist being wanted for murder.In the early hours of Liberation Day, the Minister wearily informs Lebel that they couldnt find the Jackal. All they can do is implement the utmost security precautions around. The day goes on, but nothing happens. Some time later, a police officer allows the Jackal, disguised as an old one-legged French war veteran, to head to his residential address, after seeing his papers; the Jackal enters his location, sheds his disguise and disassembles his crutch to form his rifle, and waits for the President to present medals to former French Resistance members.Lebel strolls around looking for anything the least suspicious or out of place, but he doesnt find anything until he meets the police officer around the time the President presents medals. He learns that the officer let a cripple with a crutch through, sees that the address pointed out has a window open on the top floor, and rushes over there, ordering the officer to follow him.The Jackal aims, takes his shot... and misses. De Gaulle had suddenly bent his head to kiss a Resistance soldier, a French custom. The Jackal reloads his gun for a second shot, but then Lebel and the officer burst in on him. He guns down the officer, but Lebel snatches up the officers submachine gun and empties it into the Jackal.Over in London, Charles Calthrop appears at his flat. The British authorities take him in for questioning, but conclude that he had nothing at all to do with the Jackal and close the matter (also forswearing any responsibility regarding the Jackal, since he was an Englishman but also a Dane and a Frenchman). Thomas ponders who the Jackal really was...The film ends with a funeral in Paris: a body is buried in an unmarked grave, with Lebel the only witness.

Tags: avant garde, mystery, murder, intrigue, historical fiction, suspenseful, historical

Review:
" The Day of the Jackal " is the story of a secret group of retired Agerian officers called the O.A.S. who promised to kill de Gaulle, opt to hire an expert assassin to carry out the deed.
I would not like to attempt analysing my favorite film because I admire so very much the natural way in which - in all simplicity - it allows a fascinating story to meander through screen time.Allow me instead to advise anyone not yet familiar with this masterpiece, to watch it.When you have seen The Day of the Jackal you will be - over time - rewarded with the most precious gift that only the best of movies can offer; a fond memory of cinematographic excellence combined with endless strands of story lines resonating in the mind.The Day of the Jackal is unique in perfection through directness..
The Jackal (Edward Fox) is a professional hit-man who has been hired by a French terrorists/resistance (depending on your point of view) group to kill Charles De Gaulle.
The French police somehow find out that an attempt will be made on De Gaulle's life so they begin a desperate search for the culprit.Director Fred Zimmerman is the man who brings all these elements together and weaves them into a solid film that holds up to this day.
Fred Zinnemann keeps it all moving at a steady pace and there's never any letdown in suspense since the film has the power to draw you in from the start.Based on Frederick Forsyth's best-seller about the painful preparations an assassin makes in an attempt to take the life of Charles DeGaulle, it belongs in the same class with a film like THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, almost documentary in approach.The British cast is excellent with Michael Lonsdale doing an outstanding job as the relentless detective.
Chilling yet on the ball at all times-type of a detective story and international mystery stirred up into a magnificent and skillful thriller.The O.A.S., the French version of the I.R.A. are determined more than ever to take out the current president, General Charles De Gaulle, at any cost.
And after the last attempt on DeGaulle went undone, an  Englishman who is only known as the Jackal (Edward Fox) is hired to finish the job even though he wants to do it his way.Once the word gets out, a noble Paris detective, Claude Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) is chosen by his superiors to apprehend the Jackal before he can pull off the assassination.The movie is based on the novel written by Frederick Forsyth ("The Dogs of War", "The Fourth Protocol") and the adaption made by Kenneth Ross is remarkably accurate and retains mostly of the mind-numbing suspense.
This is a good rendition of Frederick Forsyth's best seller based on real events, it deals about an intelligent English assassin (Edward Fox) who is assigned by OAS to assassinate General De Gaulle.
Casting Edward Fox as the assassin, codenamed Jackal is probably one of the best decision in film history.
Lebel in many ways is similar to the Jackal, he doesn't look like your average cop but he is incredibly professional and diligent.The film sticks faithfully to the early 1960s and is shot very stylishly, going to the real locations from Genoa, the French Rivieria and Paris.
Based on a best-selling novel by Frederick Forsyth, the movie depicts an assassination attempt on French President Charles De Gaulle in the early 1960's.
This served him very well in the case of The Day of the Jackal, a novel that not only was detailed in these ways, but also was primarily about a cold calculated professional killer, whose lack of depth or real identity was actually a positive for the story.
In other words this story was perfectly suited to Forsyth's style.For those who don't know, the film is set in 1963 and is about a French right-wing political group who want president Chares de Gaulle assassinated because of his decision to grant Algeria independence.
With near excruciating detail, the two and a-half hour narrative follows out a plot to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle by disgruntled Algerian colonialists who hire a professional hit man known as the Jackal.Now you might think 140-minutes would provide plenty of critical material to write about.
Have my godparents to thank when watching it with them while holidaying with them, who could not believe me having not seen a film they hold in extremely high regard, and it turned out to be one of the finest films seen in quite some time.When it comes to crime drama thrillers 'The Day of the Jackal' is a perfect example of how to do them well and deserves every ounce of its acclaim and genre benchmark status.
The acting is a large part of 'The Day of the Jackal's' success too, Edward Fox in the titular role gives a career-best turn, a smoothly chilling performance he gives, and Michael Lonsdale is especially outstanding of the faultless cast.Summing up, a brilliant film with everything working so magnificently (especially the acting, script and direction) that the somewhat anti-climactic ending for me was easy to ignore.
Remarkable when you know what the outcome will be.French Intelligence gets a hold of the plot that a lone contract killer called 'The Jackal' has been hired by the OAS who can no longer trust their own network as it has been so compromised to kill DeGaulle.
What makes this a great film is that the assassin is a cold, calculating and brutal man--played by a rather nondescript but very convincing Edward Fox. In fact, the portrayal is so riveting and convincing, you can't help but getting sucked into this film so expertly directed by Fred Zinnemann.
Highly detailed and never less than compelling, this film follows the exploits of a professional assassin about to embark on his biggest job yet – and we follow him every painstaking step of the way.Fox – entirely chilling and somehow commendable, despite his ultra ruthlessness – is a lead you almost (but not quite) want to win out come the end, purely because of his professionalism and his attention to detail.
Fred Zinnemann's excellent film, "The Day of the Jackal," is the story of an attempted assassination of President Charles de Gaulle.
Actually, it's from Frederic Forsyth's novel.The Jackal (Edward Fox) is hired by the OAS, a militant underground group that opposes de Gaulle giving independence to Algeria.
Of course, Fred Zinnemann's 'The Day of the Jackal (1973),' based upon the acclaimed 1971 thriller novel by Frederick Forsyth, never purports to be telling a true story, but it remains a exciting consideration.
The film follows a cunning, ruthless assassin  codenamed the Jackal  as he plots to sniper the French President, as well as the frantic attempts of authorities to capture the anonymous man before he can carry out his plans.Unlike most thrillers concerned with capturing a killer before he can strike, 'The Day of the Jackal' spends most of its time with the assassin himself, where we watch him intelligently and artfully drawing his meticulous plans and putting them into execution.
They truly know how to make a captivating thriller.After seeing 1971's "Get Carter" I enjoyed another great ride with this story of a British assassin, known only as Jackal, hired by Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS) to kill French president Charles De Gaulle.
After several failed assassination attempts they turn to Jackal (Edward Fox), an outsider with a proved track record, who agrees to do it for $1,000,000.His planning is so meticulous and thorough that at certain times it's easy to forget what he's about and start pulling for him.
It follows step by step his preparations for the assassination and the authorities trying to track him down.Story has a huge cast of mostly unknown character actors which makes it seem more believable (i.e. in the 1997 remake Bruce Willis played the Jackal and you were always aware you were watching Willis).
These days, it's fascinating to see Edward Fox playing crusty old gents in episodes of "Midsummer Murders" or "Agatha Christie's Miss Marple" when you know that back in the day, he was a super-fit assassin who could kill with one blow from the back of his hand.In fact he was just about the best hit man ever in just about the best thriller ever.
Although "The Day of the Jackal" was made in 1973, with not one smartphone or desktop computer in sight, it is still the police procedural par excellence.I love all the detail as Edward Fox's methodical Jackal plans to assassinate Charles De Gaulle, and how Michael Londsale's equally methodical French policeman, Claude Label, plans to stop him.When I first saw the movie in 1973, many of the British actors such as Maurice Denham, Derek Jacobi and Cyril Cusack etc., were familiar, but over the intervening years, they became almost like old friends, turning up in countless movies and television shows.The French actors and extras were perfectly cast, from the tough-looking characters playing OAS and Action Service men to the Citroën chauffeured members of parliament, and the beautiful widow who uses her charms to get information about the government's plans.A few years ago, I lent the DVD to a friend who watched it with his teenage son.
STORY: The Day of The Jackal is set against the struggles of the paramilitary organisation the OAS in France and their attempts to kill President Charles De Gaulle.
He receives the mission to kill the General Charles De Gaulle.Building his plan accurately, he is chased at the same time by all the international authorities, that fear for the De Gaulle's life, and the hunt is set in the whole Europe.Fred Zinneman adapted the famous Frederick Forsith's book with extreme fidelity, and he accomplished one of the most frightening and tense thrillers of the cinema history.Using quick and accelerated cuts, abrupt cameras' movements and zoom effects (that later were adopted and improved by the excellent film director John Frankenheimer), Zinneman not only gave us a significant masterpiece, but also reinvented the proceeding of how to ally suspense and action.The suffocating photography seems to constantly suggest danger and fear, and the strong and vibrant sound track combines with the nervous and explosive plot's climate.A great box-office hit,"The Day of the Jackal" proves that it takes more than shooting and fights to create a nice work and attract people to the theaters:it also takes talent and a well-written, interesting plot.Edward Fox gives an outstanding performance as "The Jackal", portraying his character in a quiet and silent form.
How Thrillers are Supposed to Be. On the opposite end of an assassination scale from, say, The Interpreter, there's Fred Zinnemann's The Day of the Jackal, maybe a quiet second to the original The Manchurian Candidate for sheer, unnerving suspenseful pressure.What Zinnemann has done is to create a terrifying political-assassination thriller that looks and feels like a cross between a home movie and a documentary.
Intelligent thriller(directed by Fred Zinnemann) based on Fredrick Forsythe's novel about professional assassin the Jackal(Edward Fox, quite good) who is hired by enemies of French president Charles De Gaulle to assassinate him, despite being the most closely guarded man in the world.Engrossing thriller shows his careful research of his target, and how he prepares himself and comes up with a "foolproof" plan to kill him, and how, despite the outward appearance of an English gentleman, will still ruthlessly kill anyone who gets in his way, but of course history records a different outcome, which lends the right amount of truth to this examination of the case, even if the Jackal himself remains a mystery..
It's story of a code name of professional killer "Jackal", who was hired to assassinate the French president by a group of French people.
The movie also suggests the commending work of French Police investigation very exhaustively but "Jackal" is smart & how can they stop him is a thing to watch rather than make you read the spoiler.
The film is based on the book by Frederick Forsyth and follows a story surrounding the assassination of French president, Charles de Gaulle.
We then follow said professional, as well as a French detective as it counts down to the supposed day of the president's death.This is something of an odd thriller, as director Fred Zinnemann continually keeps the action relaxed and there is no music score; or obvious attempts to build tension.
Zinnemann hardly shows the target upon which the whole movie revolves around - namely, President de Gaulle, and this is of benefit to the film as it means that the action can focus on the more important plot threads of the assassin and the detective.
The movie follows the assassin, nicknamed the jackal, on his mission to murder the French president De Gaulle.
While the Allied governments continue to celebrate past victories, we get the sense that there are many issues left unresolved, scars that haven't yet healed.Enter "the Jackal", a suave, young assassin played by Edward Fox. France's Secret Army Organization (OAS) wants to kill DeGaulle; they explain that "we are patriots, not terrorists."  Mr.
'The Day of the Jackal', a cat and mouse tale of the French police on the trail of an assassin, is an early example of a procedural thriller.
It was a game of cat and mouse that kept you on the edge of your seat for two and a half hours without noticing the time.That is because of director Fred Zinnemann and the fact that he kept things moving along beautifully.If you want to see how a thriller is done with craft and cunning and without special effects, then this is the film for you..
It was a game of cat and mouse that kept you on the edge of your seat for two and a half hours without noticing the time.That is because of director Fred Zinnemann and the fact that he kept things moving along beautifully.If you want to see how a thriller is done with craft and cunning and without special effects, then this is the film for you..
What a great movie this is, its a good old fashioned suspense film from the days of intelligent thrillers.
So many of today's films lack this concise execution and the confidence that a story can be told in actions and significant dialogue without incessant (and largely visceral) use of music and trendy editing.Thus, Day of The Jackal stands the test of time to rival most modern thrillers - strip the latter of their various production value gimmicks and one is rarely left with such a sturdy yarn as this.
Fred Zinneman's "Day of the Jackal" shows just how stupid my personal rule is, as the two-and-a-half hour running time literally flies by, and in return you're treated to a nail-bitingly suspenseful thriller with a fantastic screenplay, stupendous acting performances and an astonishingly wide range of authentic Central European (mainly French, obviously) filming locations.
The film appeals more to the intellect than the brute senses, as it traces the detection of an assassin hired to kill French President Charles de Gaulle.The story is set in Paris during a week in August of 1962.
Zinnemann establishes a pace that is deliberate, but never boring.An underground terrorist group in France, the OAS, decide to hire a professional killer to assassinate French President Charles De Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand) after their previous attempts have failed.
Top French police investigator Lebel (Michel Lonsdale) learns the name 'Jackal' from an informer in the plotter's ranks and cleverly pieces together the identity of the killer-for-hire.As with all good thrillers, it's the chase leading up to the climactic finale that is the best part of watching the plot unfold.
One of the best thrillers ever is this documentary-style film of a contract killer's preparation and stalk of President Charles de Gaulle.
The Day of the Jackal is the fictional story of an assassin hired by the OAS (a French right-wing terrorist group that was active in the 1960s) to kill President Charles de Gaulle.
The Jackal is a very skilled hit-man and the steps which he take to attempt to assassinate the French leader are shown in the movie.
The other "unknown" actors are a gallery of brilliant performers headed by French actor Michel Lonsdale as police inspector Claude Lebel, who is leading the search for the Jackal to stop him in his attempt to assassinate President de Gaulle.
The film, adapted from Frederick Forsyth's best-seller, centers on a professional killer, Edward Fox as 'the Jackal' assigned by the underground army group OAS to assassinate General De Gaulle, on anger for his granting the independence to Algeria, thus betraying his vows to the French Army.And there are reasons why the 'Jackal' demands half-a million dollars for his services besides danger and De Gaulle's difficulty to be 'approached': he's giving them France on a silver plate, he'll never be able to work again and they can use their networks to rob banks and jewelries  not to mention he has to make sure he can escape after the killing.
The film is a perfect cat and mouse chase as the French Secret Service -that knows a killer will attempt against the President- does his job too and starts to run against time.Edward Fox, a fine British actor, plays the Jackal most convincingly and some how you feel kind of sorry for his bad luck at the last minute (considering this is a movie we are talking about, of course); the man is a true professional with no feelings or scruples when it comes to his work.
He is a true professional too."The Day of the Jackal" lasts 2 and a half hours, but you can be sure you'll enjoy every minute of it if you like political thrillers with a real fact background (the OAS really existed and attempted against Charles de Gaulle several times).