The Jackal

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The Jackal

R

Released Nov 14, 1997

2h 4m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Popcornmeter

24%

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33 Reviews

51%

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50,000+ Ratings

During an FBI raid on a Moscow nightclub, the brother of Russian gangster Terek Murad (David Hayman) is killed. Murad wants revenge and hires anonymous hit man the Jackal (Bruce Willis) to kill FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston (Sidney Poitier). With the help of Russian agent Valentina Koslova (Diane Venora), Preston finds the only man who knows what the notorious Jackal looks like, imprisoned IRA terrorist Declan Mulqueen (Richard Gere), and forces him to help hunt down the hit man.

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Critics Consensus

The Jackal is a relatively simple chase thriller incapable of adding thrills or excitement as the plot chugs along.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

The usually reliable director Michael Caton-Jones hasn't a clue how to freshen up such stale material. If you bite your fingernails, it will only be from boredom.

Mar 5, 2018

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Mike Clark

USA Today

The international pursuit grows borderline monotonous but there is a jump in pacing during the Washington, D.C., climax.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 9, 2018

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Sep 7, 2011

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

Sidney Poitier is the FBI deputy director and the only one in the cast to lend this movie credibility.

Rated: C-

Jan 10, 2023

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

A few moments of potential white-knuckle confrontations deflate, but they’re minimal; the actors do such an outstanding job of taking their roles seriously that it’s difficult not to get wrapped up in the suspense.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 11, 2022

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Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

As suspense, it's suspenseless.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 29, 2022

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Jerod S

Slow start to a chase thriller where Willis is going after the first lady. Gere hunting him down towards the end helps it finish on a high.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/06/25

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Audience Member

Bruce Willis is the best and deserves 5 🌟 but the movie isn't top and the other players seems more annoying then good.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Jeff B

A great Bruce Willis movie. Good casting and well-paced. Gere to me was very annoying and I was really rooting for The Jackal by the end of the movie. A fun flashback to the late 90's.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

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Raymond S

En endeløs rekke av logiske brister, men fint filma - kan på ingen måte anbefales.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

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Tore A

I don’t think Mr. Gere gets enough credit for his work in this movie. I like seeing him play parts like these.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/16/24

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Alain E

Decent entertainment from the period when Bruce Willis was firing on all cylinders. Kind of a formulaic James Bond type story where the bad assassin has problems using the Washington DC metro, while the good guy saves the day but not necessarily all the girls. There is a scene towards the end where the good guy finds himself in the narrow space between two speeding subway trains, which if it didn’t involve any trickery, is pretty impressive.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/28/24

Full Review

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Michael Caton-Jones

Director

Bruce Willis

The Jackal

Richard Gere

Declan Mulqueen

Sidney Poitier

Carter Preston

Diane Venora

Valentina Koslova

Tess Harper

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Synopsis

During an FBI raid on a Moscow nightclub, the brother of Russian gangster Terek Murad (David Hayman) is killed. Murad wants revenge and hires anonymous hit man the Jackal (Bruce Willis) to kill FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston (Sidney Poitier). With the help of Russian agent Valentina Koslova (Diane Venora), Preston finds the only man who knows what the notorious Jackal looks like, imprisoned IRA terrorist Declan Mulqueen (Richard Gere), and forces him to help hunt down the hit man.

Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Producer: Kevin Jarre, James Jacks, Sean Daniel
Screenwriter: Chuck Pfarrer
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Alphaville Films, Mutual Film Company
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $54.9M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround, DTS, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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