TV Review: ‘The Day of the Jackal’

Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.

Launching via Peacock on November 14th with the first five episodes (followed by one a week before a two-episode finale on December 12th), ‘The Day of the Jackal’ represents the latest attempt to translate Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel about an assassin and those who want to stop him killing his latest target to screens.

We’ve had two movies previously (one in 1973 and the 1997 effort simply titled ‘The Jackal,’ which saw Bruce Willis in a rare villainous role as the titular killer), so any new adaptation has that baggage to carry along with trying to establish itself as fresh and new.

This TV version, crafted by writer/producer Ronan Bennett (who previously created respected drama ‘Top Boy’) only achieves some of its ambitions.

Does ‘The Day of the Jackal’ accurately provide thrills?

Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.

What actor doesn’t love the chance to slap on a rubbery mask and slither around foreign cities meticulously planning assassinations? Trouble is, we’ve all seen this story many times before, not least in the previous two adaptations.

Like its predecessors, ‘The Day of the Jackal’ looks to update the story for present day concerns such as tech and big media, while adding in extra layers of complication for the person (in this case, Lashana Lynch’s rigorous MI6 agent Bianca) who is looking to track and stop the Jackal (played here by Eddie Redmayne).

Yet while the TV miniseries format offers a chance to expand upon the story and let the characters breathe more than a movie can, some of this ‘Jackal’s inventions don’t necessarily work, leaving the story feeling overstuffed and weighed down by a few of the additions.

It also doesn’t help that the story naturally must draw on the sort of scenes that are common among such entries in this genre. How many times can we really watch an assassin meticulously take apart a sniper rifle, no matter how cleverly disguised the weapon might be?

Script and Direction

Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.

Bennett has certainly proved he can create compelling characters, and here he’s aiming to put meat on some very trope-heavy plot skeletons. That effort is much more successful in the case of Lynch’s character, to the point where you can imagine where she might have gone with her 007 character from ‘No Time to Die,’ if she had the added responsibility of a family along with her MI6 duties.

The script for the Jackal’s scenes is less successful, even given a welcome addition of his own family complications (even if it does somewhat stretch credulity that such a fastidious and seemingly controlled type who risk the burden of loved ones, whose presence naturally causes problems for him, though in slightly refreshing fashion that we won’t spoil here).

Brian Kirk is the primary director here, handling the first three episodes and he sets a visual style that is lavish yet focused. It’s clear that all involved are looking to essentially make a James Bond movie for TV from the opening credits in, and they are mostly fruitful.

Performances

Redmayne and Lynch are the key characters, but showrunner Bennett retains his good eye for an ensemble.

Eddie Redmayne as The Jackal

Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.

You can see the appeal for Redmayne, who gets to have fun –– well, we can imagine the prosthetics aren’t always enjoyable –– as a twisted take on a Tom Cruise character jetting around the world and being paid millions to assassinate prominent figures.

There is some effort here to make him less of a cipher (the aforementioned family relationships), but it doesn’t always work, even in the capable hands of an Oscar winner like Redmayne.

Lashana Lynch as Bianca

Lashana Lynch as Bianca in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.

The tenacious MI6 agent is distinct from the role Lynch took in the Bond film, and that’s thanks mostly to her portrayal. This is another knockout performance from an actor who has proved she can handle action, comedy and even musicals (‘Matilda the Musical’).

Bianca gives her scope to be a terrier of an agent who won’t drop a case just because her superiors tell her to, but also a dedicated wife and mother who struggles to juggle the two sides of her life in believable, relatable fashion.

Other notable characters

Chukwudi Iwuji as Osi in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.

Úrsula Corberó has some entertaining work to do as Nuria, wife to Redmayne’s Jackal. More than simply a loving spouse or easily fridged damsel in distress, she scores her own storyline.

Chukwudi Iwuji, meanwhile, is solid as Osita Halcrow, Bianca’s immediate boss at MI6. While he could have been just a stodgy authority figure, Iwuji gives him some spirit and flavor. There is also a fun supporting turn from ‘Game of Thrones’ veteran Richard Dormer as the Jackal’s chosen gun manufacturer, a wizard with weaponry.

Final Thoughts

Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.

Though ‘The Day of the Jackal’ initially struggles with establishing itself as apart from the myriad of other action thriller stories with oft-utilized tropes and storylines, there is ultimately enough here to make it worth seeing.

And with five episodes available on the first day, at least you have a reasonable enough chance to see beyond the somewhat staid setup. It’s still not the best example of the genre we’ve ever seen, however.

‘The Day of the Jackal’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.

TV-MA1 SeasonsNovember 7th, 2024

An unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match… Read the Plot

What’s the plot of ‘The Day of the Jackal’?

An unrivaled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne), makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee.

But following his latest kill, he meets his match in tenacious British intelligence officer Bianca (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.