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The Jackal

Play trailer Poster for The Jackal R 1997 2h 4m Mystery & Thriller Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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24% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The Jackal is a glum, curiously flat thriller about a man who goes to a great deal of trouble in order to create a crime that anyone in the audience could commit more quickly and efficiently. Rated: 1.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot As suspense, it's suspenseless. Rated: 2/4 Mar 29, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
The Jackal

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Cast & Crew

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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

The First Lady

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The Jackal

The Jackal (1997) The Jackal (1997) The Jackal (1997) The Jackal (1997) View more photos

Movie Info

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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