Review of The Day of the Jackal (1973) by V V — 08 Mar 2008

Two hours of mad, gripping chase for the head of De Gaul's.

The film makes you wander, what makes those people stuck so adamantly to their goal? The old master leaves you with enough evidence to believe that it's about being good or a villain, but, it's the sense of a duty that made Jackal make a turn left, towards Paris. Zinnemann's characters often loose their head for this reason, but here the twist in the motive is what gives the film an extra value. Is the complex machinery of the state an enemy or a safeguard?

To conclude, this is what any thriller would like to be when it grows up. Every single aspect of the film is better than good.