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The Day of the Jackal

The Day of the Jackal

Action · Thriller · 1973

An international assassin known as ‘The Jackal’ is employed by disgruntled French generals to kill President Charles de Gaulle, with a dedicated gendarme on the assassin’s trail.

Movie details

The Day of the Jackal

“Nameless, faceless... relentlessly moving towards the date with death that would rock the world.”

1973 Action · Thriller 2h 23m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

An international assassin known as ‘The Jackal’ is employed by disgruntled French generals to kill President Charles de Gaulle, with a dedicated gendarme on the assassin’s trail.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Day of the Jackal?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Marseille Contract

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Fred Zinnemann

Written by

Kenneth Ross

Edward Fox

Edward Fox

The Jackal

Terence Alexander

Terence Alexander

Lloyd

Michel Auclair

Michel Auclair

Colonel Rolland

Alan Badel

Alan Badel

the Minister

Tony Britton

Tony Britton

Inspector Thomas

D

Denis Carey

Casson

Cyril Cusack

Cyril Cusack

Gunsmith

Court is in session

Put The Day of the Jackal on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.