The Day of the Jackal

Play trailer

The Day of the Jackal

PG

Released Jul 30, 1973

2h 21m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

An underground French paramilitary group is intent on eliminating President Charles de Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand), but when numerous attempts on his life fail, they resort to hiring the infamous hit man known as "The Jackal" (Edward Fox). As the enigmatic assassin prepares to shoot de Gaulle, he takes out any problematic people along the way. Meanwhile, Lebel (Michel Lonsdale), a savvy Parisian police detective, begins to solve the mystery of the killer's identity.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

The Day of the Jackal is a meticulously constructed thriller with surprising irreverence and taut direction.

Read Critics Reviews

Penelope Gilliatt

The New Yorker

It is the sustained gentleness of Fred Zinnemann’s professional temperament that makes the picture a clockwork amusement to watch.

Mar 4, 2024

Full Review

Keith Uhlich

(All (Parentheses))

Possesses a tonal coldness that aligns viewers with the assassin’s reptilian machinations. —Guest post by Michael Joshua Rowin

Dec 20, 2022

Full Review

William B. Collins

Philadelphia Inquirer

As the tension rises, you feel terribly helpless. You just have to sit there and let it happen.

Jun 14, 2022

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

...Fox gives us a fleshed-out performance of an intelligent killer who will stop at nothing to take out his target, carefully plotting the assassination but relying on his wits to evade Claude Lebel (Lonsdale) at every twist and turn.

Rated: 4/4

Jul 6, 2025

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…a great movie because of the detail…the Jackal is the logical extension of the triumph of money over the human spirit, an remorseless killer with zero inner life, existing only to thwart the will of the people for his own personal gain...

Rated: 5/5

Nov 15, 2024

Full Review

John Hofsess

Maclean's Magazine

Day Of The Jackal is not a great film, but it’s a damn good one, one of the very few films released this year that is worth all the trouble and expense of going out to the movies.

Jun 15, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

D P

This was an excellent movie. I did not expect this quality of story crafting from a movie in the 70s. I was fully invested in the outcome of this plot.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/04/25

Full Review

Dominik N

A movie filled with retro masculinity and driven characters. It feels like James Bond, but less invincible and if he was a villain. While the plot is intriguing, some scenes drag on and others feel unnecessary. Overall a really solid movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

Full Review

John J

One of the greatest classics ever made. Similar to James Bond, with great suspense and dialogue. Good lord I remember the melon shooting scene after 40 plus years. Dude was a stone cold psychopath This movie is underrated

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/25

Full Review

Johnathon W

First rate thriller that keeps you on the edge of you seat throughout, despite already knowing how its going to end. The cast is superb, with Edward Fox smoothly playing the Jackal, a professional killer who while truly an evil man, is so good at what he does you find yourself rooting for him. He is matched by Michael Lonsdale as the detective tasked with catching him, and despite looking like a befuddled fool, is just as dogged and professional as the Jackal. Behind the camera, director Fred Zinnerman expertly adapts Frederick Forsyth's classic book, using a documentary style to keep action grounded while meticulously following the Jackal's plan to assassinate Charles De Gaulle. The brilliance of the movie is that you know the ending (De Gaulle obviously wasn't assassinated) but you still want to see how far the Jackal gets. All in all, the standard for political thrillers.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/25

Full Review

MG_Claymore C

I love Fox as the Jackal. Could any remake be as good as this.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

Raymond S

Husker den traff meg godt i tenåra, men full av logiske brister ved nytt gjensyn etter ca 35 år.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Fred Zinnemann

Director

Edward Fox

The Jackal

Michaël Lonsdale

Lebel

Tony Britton

Inspector Thomas

Terence Alexander

Lloyd

Cyril Cusack

The Gunsmith

The Terrorists

50%

18%

The Terrorists

Watchlist

Still of the Night

67%

46%

Still of the Night

Watchlist

Dial M for Murder

90%

92%

Dial M for Murder

Watchlist

Shamus

29%

38%

Shamus

Watchlist

The Outfit

80%

74%

The Outfit

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

An underground French paramilitary group is intent on eliminating President Charles de Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand), but when numerous attempts on his life fail, they resort to hiring the infamous hit man known as "The Jackal" (Edward Fox). As the enigmatic assassin prepares to shoot de Gaulle, he takes out any problematic people along the way. Meanwhile, Lebel (Michel Lonsdale), a savvy Parisian police detective, begins to solve the mystery of the killer's identity.

Director: Fred Zinnemann
Producer: John Woolf, David Deutsch, Julian Derode
Screenwriter: Frederick Forsyth, Kenneth Ross
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 30, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Runtime: 2h 21m

Most Popular at Home Now