The Jackals mistakes

1. Maybe he just got a thrill out of driving fast. Not everything he does is germaine to the mission.
2. It is a false name
3. I don't know if he did name his specific destination. He may have told the Gendarme a false address and he and Lebel saw the open window and realized what was happening. I'd have to watch it again to be sure.
4. Why does it matter?

"It's a joke. We'll laugh about it in the car."

[deleted]

2. During my travels in europe in the 70's, a passport was required when checking into a hotel. therefore he would give the false "Duggan" passport. The passport is then retruned on checkout.

1. The car colour had changed but he couldn't know for sure (given the nature of how they got _any_ info about the investigation, through pillow talk, it'd be sketchy details most of the time) just how much they knew, and they might still track him down, so (as far as I can tell) the idea was to get to somewhere, quickly, where he might be able to hide out or switch cars, and change his appearance to that of the Danish schoolteacher. He would have tried to get there as fast as possible, and presumably at that point in time there wasn't massive police patrols, speed cameras etc, so as long as he slowed down going through any towns, he'd be unlikely to ever see a police car.

He _did_ switch to a train to get into Paris itself, so it would seem, within the reality of the film as presented, that he was somewhat aware of where he could get away with a car with dodgy plates or driving fast etc.

2. Everyone else covered it.

3. If he didn't nominate a real house address (even though it might have been a lie, and he was actually headed for another building) - and looked the part - do you think he would have been let through? Of course not, but a war veteran missing a leg, wanting to pass by and return to his house (which had been searched that morning, so nobody else was there matching the jackal's description) his story had to be more complete and plausible, it's the name of the game, so to speak.

4. Simple - he didn't know they were on to that name at the time, and it's about 'staying in character'. Nobody was looking for Per Lyndqvist the Danish schoolteacher, they were looking for a fair haired Englishman. Even breaking his fake identity, slipping just once, could be fatal, so to all and sundry, he used that name at that time. Imagine something like being stopped by police, and he hands over documents, whilst with the guy he met in the bath-house, if they noticed the discrepancy and told the police (god knows why they would, but just hypothetically) - well that'd be grounds for detaining him, and they wouldn't take long to work out he had dyed hair etc...

# 3 is not a mistake. When he's disguised as the old one legged veteran, he has to tell the Gendarme where he's going as well as show him ID with that address to be allowed past the barriers. If he hadn't (supposedly) lived in that building, he'd have been turned away until after the cerimony.

The flick was just on cable, and it's clear that the forger produced the ID with the old vet's identity, photo and the address of the building the Jackal was going to shoot from. This is in the same scene when they talk about ingesting cordite to cause the skin to look gray rather than use make up when he wants to look like the old vet. The forger also mentions an associate in Paris having to pick a pocket to see an original to work from, presumably referring to the old documents a man of the vet's age would have.

Regarding 2
2. Maybe you have never stayed in a hotel in Europe, but it is normal to hand over your passport to the clerk. It is not possible to avoid this if you are foreigner. If you are native, you have to have an identity card. I didn't see if he handed the passport in the movie though.

"1. Why drive like a banshee after you've painted your car and have new license plates?"

That was an irritaing diversion from the original story. Certainly he would've been enough a professional as to not get involved in a car accident.
In the book he deliberately dumps the car after he's informed that the police know what he's driving. He paints it blue to get out of immediate danger than leaves it in a forest.

1. He wasn't driving like a banshee, just fast; I do it myself when it's safe because I too drive an Alfa. Besides, the cops were looking for a WHITE Alfa Romeo with different plates. Anybody with an Alfa would be expected to drive con brio.
2. You can't register legally in France without presenting your identity papers--in the Jackal's case, his passport-- so that your stay can be recorded, Police state? Maybe.
3. He had to tell the Paris cop his address so he could get through the cordon. This is something he scouted out in advance, and his false documents reflected this, precisely so he could make it through the cordon.
4. Why not? Per Lundquist was his cover and, as far as he knew, unlikely to be blown. Even if it was, how likely was the guy in the street to pay attention to a nation-wide alarm? Not much more likely than today.

No plot holes.