By the time that Fred Zinnemann got around to making The Jackal (1973), he was an accomplished filmmaker with plenty of reputation on his side. Instead of resting on his laurels, however, he turned out a nicely accomplished film. It's not profound or a masterpiece, but it's entertaining and well made.

Historical Background: Director Fred Zinnemann was born on April 29th, 1907, in Vienna and died in 1997. He toyed with the idea of becoming a musician (he played the violin), later earned a master's degree in law, but, in the end, took a job as an assistant cameraman, first in Paris and then Berlin. Zinnemann moved to the U.S. in 1929 and found work as an assistant to directors Berthold Viertel and Robert Flaherty. After co-directing a documentary in Mexico, he directed some shorts for MGM, including an Oscar-winning one in 1938 called That Mothers Might Live. Zinnemann got his first feature opportunity in 1941 and his first big film, The Search, in 1948. It was during the fifties, however, that Zinnemann rose above the riff-raff with a series of outstanding films, including High Noon (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), Oklahoma! (1955), and The Nun's Story (1959). Zinnemann continued to make some fine films through the sixties and seventies as well. These included The Sundowners (1960), A Man for All Seasons (1966), The Day of the Jackal (1973), and Julia (1977). Zinnemann was nominated eight times for the Best Director Oscar, winning the trophy twice. Zinnemann was a methodical craftsman.

The Story: The story opens in August, 1962, in France. President Charles De Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand) has angered right-wingers and Frenchmen living in Algeria by granting Algeria its independence. A secret organization, the OAS, has vowed to assassinate De Gaulle and the film opens with a dramatic attempt that fails only because of some skillful maneuvering by De Gaulle's driver and some plain old good luck on De Gaulle's side. The conspirators are captured and their leader, Colonel Bastien-Thiry (Jean Sorel), is executed. The new leaders of the OAS have to flee and end up hiding out on the top floor of a hotel in Rome, with a platoon of bodyguards one floor beneath. There's Col. Rodin (Eric Porter), Montclair (David Swift), and Casson (Denis Carey). The top bodyguard is a man named Wolenski (Jean Martin). All of the OAS operatives are well known to French police and the organization is riddled with informers. Rodin decides that the only way to strike effectively is to hire a professional foreign assassin, unknown to French authorities. They settle on an Englishman with an extensive history of assassinations, including Trujillo and some high official in the Congo. He demands a half million dollars, half before and half when the job is done, to be deposited in a Swiss bank account. "Considering that I'm handing you France, I wouldn't call that expensive," he says. The assassin is known to the OAS only by his codename, "The Jackal" (Edward Fox).

The remainder of the film intercuts between the extensive preparations of The Jackal and the efforts of French authorities to abort the plot. This being a thriller, I won't go into much detail. The Jackal's preparations are methodical and thorough, including visits to a special gunsmith (Cyril Cusack), a man specializing in forged passports, library research, and stealing false identities. Along the way, The Jackal has both heterosexual and homosexual entanglements, with Baroness Colette de Montpelier (Delphine Seyrig) and Bernard (Anton Rodgers) respectively, more out of strategic necessity than passion. Both encounters culminate in death for the unfortunate partner.

The top cabinet Minister (Alan Badel) demands that Inspector Thomas (Tony Britton) put his best man on the job. That turns out to be Detective Lebel (Michael Lonsdale). Lebel is hamstrung by having to conduct the investigation in complete secrecy. In exchange, Lebel demands unlimited authority and one aide, the youthful detective Caron (Derek Jacobi). Both Lebel and The Jackal are consummate professionals, which makes the cat-and-mouse game all the more intriguing.

Themes: Other than the sheer dramatic tension of the story, the film's main theme revolves around the contrast between the methodical professionalism of the two main characters, The Jackal and Lebel, and the decadence and incompetence of society at large. Lebel has the worst of the incompetence to deal with. The ministers treat him like a lackey while also being totally dependent on him for the well-being of the country. The investigation is plagued by a security leak and Lebel secretly taps the phone of every minister, identifying the source of the leak, but also dumbfounding the innocent parties. Lebel certainly meant it when he said "complete authority." For his part, the Jackal has to put up with an overly ambitious forger who hopes to make a quick bundle blackmailing his client. Naturally, that bit of greed doesn't pay off. There's a nice exchange near the film's beginning that sums up the notion of cold, calculating professionalism. When meeting the leaders of the OAS, the Jackal comments, "You see, gentlemen, not only have your own efforts failed, but you've rather queered the pitch for everyone else." When one of the three men starts to take exception to the comment, The Jackal quickly adds, "You simply can't afford to be emotional. It's why you've made so many mistakes." The Jackal maintains an emotional detachment from his work, killing when he has to, but without either the passion or satisfaction that a psychopath might experience.

Production Values: It is ironic, in a sense, that this film is thematically a kind of ode to professionalism because Zinnemann, as a director, was typically credited with consummate technical proficiency, if sometimes a lack of inspiration. This film is a fine example of Zinnemann's cool and collected competence as a filmmaker. He's in control of every aspect including the script, pace, cinematography, and performances. This film, however, has a tad of inspiration as well. It documents a time and a place in history with a pretty fair degree of faithfulness, even if the particulars of the story are fictional.

Kenneth Ross wrote the screenplay, based on a best-selling novel by Frederick Forsyth. If the film has a shortcoming, it's a lack of intriguing psychological insight into the workings of the two main protagonists, good and evil. The Jackal seems like an almost mechanical predator, inhuman in his lack of emotionality. Lebel is also left mysterious in his own way.

The cinematography is attractive, featuring landscapes and cityscapes from all over Europe, including Paris, London, Rome, and Vienna. The film was shot on location, providing credible authenticity. The filming in Paris is especially impressive. The soundtrack is pretty basic.

Edward Fox is superb as the Jackal, with his calm, cool, and calculating exterior. His boyish good looks and dapper outfits ensure that's he's fun to watch. His other work has included The Go-Between (1971), The Duelists (1977), Soldier of Orange (1977), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Gandhi (1982), Never Say Never Again (1983), The Dresser (1983), Lost in Space (1998), and Nicholas Nickleby (2002). Michael Lonsdale provides the other strongest performance in this film, as Lebel. His long resume includes appearances in Stolen Kisses (1968), Murmur of the Heart (1971), The Phantom of Liberty (1974), Stavisky (1974), The Romantic Englishwoman (1975), and Moonraker (1979), in which he played Drax. I'd rate Lonsdale performance in this film as the best I've seen by him. Good supporting performances were turned in by Tony Britton as Inspector Thomas, Cyril Cusack as the gunsmith, Delphine Seyrig as the Baroness, and Olga Georges-Picot as Denise. Seyrig is best known for appearances in Last Year at Marienbad (1961), Muriel (1963), Accident (1967), Stolen Kisses (1968), and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972).

Bottom-Line: The Universal widescreen DVD version of this film offers a choice of English, Spanish, and French soundtracks and subtitles in the same three languages. The only extras are production notes, cast and filmmaker bios, film highlights, and a theatrical trailer. There's a four-page booklet with pictures and a list of chapters, but no essay. This is a longish movie, at 143 minutes, but, frankly, it's exciting enough that the time simply flies by. I was never bored. There's no suspense for most viewers, who know full well that De Gaulle was never assassinated, but the intrigue is superlative anyway. "Suave, intelligent, and methodical" pretty much sums up The Jackal as a character, The Jackal as a film, and Zinnemann as a director. This film was remade in 1997 as the far less subtle The Jackal, with Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier. Some critics detest the remake. I enjoyed it, though I rate the original as significantly better.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older