It's a polished and exciting thriller, mercifully unburdened with heavy political/philosophical digressions.
Comment
11/01/07
The Day of the Jackal (1973)
90 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 19
Rotten:2
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: This suspense thriller about a daring plot to murder Charles De Gaulle is based on Frederick Forsyth's best-seller. The movie's suspenseful pace is tied to the incredibly careful and intricate... [More]
Starring: Edward Fox, Alan Badel, Terrence Alexander, Cyril Cusack
Director: Fred Zinnemann
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Reviews for The Day of the Jackal
Top CriticA taut, suspenseful, and fascinating political thriller.
11/01/07
The major asset of the film is that it succeeds in maintaining interest and suspense despite obvious viewer foreknowledge of the outcome.
11/01/07
Top CriticLike all Zinnemann's work, this meticulously crafted political thriller is involving but not exciting due to his detached perspective and the fact that we know the outcome, that De Gaulle wasn't assassinated, but it's cast with Europe's best actors.
04/23/07
Low on documentary conviction and political context, but an intriguing exercise in concealing the obvious.
01/26/06
No review available.
10/09/05
No review available.
06/03/05
Great assassination-based thriller
01/05/05
No review available.
11/12/04
I wasn't prepared for how good it really is: it's not just a suspense classic, but a beautifully executed example of filmmaking.
10/23/04
Top CriticAn engrossing film about a terrorist.
06/13/04
A taut, suspenseful thriller that is as exciting as the first time you saw it. Fox is wonderful as the assassin; a great cat-and-mouse feature.
09/11/03
No review available.
08/22/03
Delightfully intelligent and often irreverant, it's a good yarn and a good thriller to boot.
06/29/03
No review available.
06/26/03
[A] taut, slow-burning thriller.
05/24/03
The details are minutely observed and, to me, just a bit boring.
05/20/03
Top CriticNo review available.
07/30/02
A taut, tight assassination classic.
07/27/02
Zinnemann's tale of an extremist faction's plot to kill the celebrated French leader and the authorities' efforts to capture the mercenary assassin hired for the job achieves a dignified tone and compelling pace seldom seen in latter-day thrillers.
04/17/01
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