Review of The Jackal (1997) by Filipeneto — 14 Mar 2022

A competent and effective work, but devoid of any originality.

In this film, we see the FBI's attempts to stop a mysterious killer whose face was never seen by anyone left alive to tell the authorities. He was hired to act and avenge the death of the brother of a Russian mafia boss, killed by US agents in an operation in Moscow. In order to identify their man, federal agents must go to prison and negotiate the release of a former IRA agent, the only one who has seen the killer's face.

The film is quite good, but to a certain extent it reminds me of another one I saw, “The Rock”, a thriller where, as in this film, the success of the authorities' efforts depends on the help of a foreign prisoner. In both films, we also see the human side of this character, who is presented to us in the most sympathetic way possible. The time element is also an important factor in both films, where all the action takes place in a true race against the clock. I cannot, however, say that everything works perfectly: there are several points in the story that seem to me to have been included without any real use for the plot and perfectly illogical, exaggerated situations (the final climax with the machine gun is the most obvious since a real killer would never do that) or absurd (for example, the amount paid to the killer, who appears to be being paid to rob Fort Knox, given the exorbitant amount).

Despite embodying a truly brutal and cold character, Bruce Willis is the actor who stands out the most in this film. For me, he really managed to deliver what the character demanded of him: a methodical, sinister and cruel brutality of someone who made killing his profession and is very meticulous in what he does. Richard Gere was also good, although in a much more monotonous, monotone, sometimes boring and lazy register. The rest of the cast is simply giving them the support they need, without really standing out, especially Sidney Poitier. Mathilda May is the actress who receives the worst material and the one who does the worst in the film, as a result.

Despite being an action thriller movie, the pace is relatively slow, although that is a lesser evil and allows for the development of some sub-plots that would otherwise be stillborn. The cinematography does a very competent and safe job, and the filming was very well executed. The props, sets and costumes helped, but it's the special effects used, in conjunction with the excellent work of the action doubles, that bring the most impressive scenes to life.