MovieChat Forums > The Day of the Jackal (2024) Discussion > Doesn't live up to the book or movie

Doesn't live up to the book or movie

posted 2 months ago by Bartholomew (102)
34 replies | jump to latest

People who really enjoyed the book or the 1973 movie will likely be very disappointed by this version. The book and the movie were tightly-plotted police procedurals, while this is a genre action piece. The Jackal himself has been reduced from a careful and methodical assassin to a hotheaded idiot who takes huge risks.

SPOILERS

The strategy of baiting Fest to the hospital made no sense. If Fest's security was tight before the attack on his son, it would be much tighter after. With the tighter security, the Jackal had to pull off a one-in-a-million shot from over two miles away, hoping that Fest's head would be in the exact right position seven seconds after pulling the trigger, and that the bullet wouldn't be deflected by the glass of the revolving door.

As ludicrous as that shot was, it pales in comparison to attempting a two-mile shot using a steady-cam rig from a bobbing boat, and predicting where an underwater swimmer would surface seven seconds in advance.

The revenge attack on Elias Fest was just as dumb. The Jackal risked being captured or killed in a ridiculously clichéd car chase (complete with driving through a sidewalk cafe). The whole set-up was contrived, with Elias not using his own driver and the complete lack of police escorts, despite the heavy police presence at their departure point.

Later, after test-firing his new rifle, the Jackal was so suspicious of the blacked-out SUV slowing down as it passed Stoke's place that he went to watch from a distance. But, he didn't bother warning Stoke until it was too late.

Then the Jackal killed the Cuban gangster for no real reason. Apparently it didn't dawn on him that that such a signature long-distance shot could lead the police right to his home.

A lot of the security forces were just as dumb. Past-his-prime Larry Stoke can jump from the canal path to a passing barge, but none of the fit MI6 officers even try to chase him. UDC's security chief has Bianca go through the body scanner at the Kontserdisaal, only to return her pistol on the other side. A sniper is about to take a shot at UDC in the water, but his guard on the personal watercraft doesn't bother shielding him. Instead, the guard attempts to chase down the Jackal's high-performance boat, not realizing how futile that would be.

All in all, it's okay as a brainless action flick. Just don't expect much logic or realism.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

If Fest's security was tight before the attack on his son, it would be much tighter after.

I think the problem of Fest was he was never in public, there is no way to know where he was. But he would go to see his son in hospital.

As ludicrous as that shot was, it pales in comparison to attempting a two-mile shot using a steady-cam rig from a bobbing boat, and predicting where an underwater swimmer would surface seven seconds in advance.

It would be possible if he studied UDC's swimming, which he did in public.

The revenge attack on Elias Fest was just as dumb. The Jackal risked being captured or killed in a ridiculously clichéd car chase (complete with driving through a sidewalk cafe). The whole set-up was contrived, with Elias not using his own driver and the complete lack of police escorts, despite the very heavy police presence at their departure point.

Police are not bodyguard, also Elias Fest thought he was protected by anonymity, the assassin obviously did not know he ordered hit.

Later, after test-firing his new rifle, the Jackal was so suspicious of the blacked-out SUV slowing down as it passed Stoke's place that he went to watch from a distance. But, he didn't bother warning Stoke until it was too late.

Stoke saw his face, and this is his last job, so he probably preferred him dead. A sloppy gun maker would eventually get caught and sell him out.

Then the Jackal killed the Cuban gangster for no real reason. Apparently it didn't dawn on him that that such a signature long-distance shot could lead the police right to his home.

Yeah, that was careless, but he was pressed for time.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

Fest was a politician aiming to be the next Chancellor. He'd be making public appearances, holding press conferences, and giving interviews on TV. If nothing else, he'd be leaving and returning from his home and his office.

Watching UDC swim wouldn't tell the Jackal how long UDC could hold his breath or how far he'd be able to swim underwater in that time. UDC was also swimming off his private island with a 2 mile exclusion zone, so it wouldn't be easy for an outsider to watch him.

The police do provide protection when someone is a murder target. That's why all the police were around when the family left for the funeral. Elias still had to act as if he was a potential target, even if he didn't think he was, or else the police would become suspicious of him.

Worry that Stoke might describe him would be a very good reason for helping Stoke evade capture. If the Jackal was hoping that the MI6 agents would kill Stoke, he obviously lost that bet. He gambled again by getting close enough to kill Stoke, almost getting killed himself and allowing the agents to see his face, which defeated the purpose of killing Stoke anyway.

The Jackal could have met with the Cuban and told him he wasn't interested. Or, he could have told Alvaro to set up the meeting for the following week, giving him time to come up with a plan. What will the Cuban's gang associates think when their leader gets killed at a meeting where the guy he was supposed to meet didn't show up? They might attempt revenge the very next day, kidnapping or killing Nuria and Carlito. So, killing the Cuban just before leaving town was another huge gamble, and there was no reason to kill him anyway.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

Fest was a politician aiming to be the next Chancellor. He'd be making public appearances, holding press conferences, and giving interviews on TV. If nothing else, he'd be leaving and returning from his home and his office.

When election is imminent, but election might not be there fast enough.

The guy is obviously rich, it is very difficult to know how many properties he owns, through corporate and trust holding, and where he actually stays. Again if election were imminent, that could change, but we don't know that.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

We do know from the news reports and the phone calls from reporters that Fest was a public figure and actively involved in politics. Even if Fest was a recluse, it wouldn't make sense to gamble on a one-in-a-million shot. Flushing out your prey is only a good strategy if it allows you to get get a good shot at it. If you miss, you'll never get a second shot.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

Watching UDC swim wouldn't tell the Jackal how long UDC could hold his breath or how far he'd be able to swim underwater in that time. UDC was also swimming off his private island with a 2 mile exclusion zone, so it wouldn't be easy for an outsider to watch him.

10 years ago it would be hard, today it is pretty easy to observe him with a drone.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

A drone would have been spotted, and then UDC might have stayed inside. Would the Jackal be willing to gamble on that too?

The series also did not show the Jackal flying a drone, even though every other significant step taken by him was shown. They even show him doing mundane things like shopping for a watermelon and paint. If he had used a drone, they would have shown it.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

Elias still had to act as if he was a potential target, even if he didn't think he was, or else the police would become suspicious of him.

No, he didn't. It is a terrible invasion of privacy. Also there is good reason he did not trust police, who would not give a damn if he dies or not.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

What is an invasion of privacy? And why do you say that Elias doesn't trust the police? If he doesn't trust the police, why have them securing the area while he gets into the car?

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

Worry that Stoke might describe him would be a very good reason for helping Stoke evade capture. If the Jackal was hoping that the MI6 agents would kill Stoke, he obviously lost that bet.

You lost me there. Who would ever think MI6 were there to kill a gun maker? Obviously the goal was to capture him.

And only a dead person does not talk.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

You said that "Stoke saw his face, and this is his last job, so he probably preferred him dead. A sloppy gun maker would eventually get caught and sell him out." If the Jackal is worried that Stoke might sell him out, why not warn him in time to get away? The best explanation I can come up with is that the Jackal was hoping Stoke would die in a shootout with the MI6 team. But again, that would be such a huge gamble, it doesn't make sense.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

What will the Cuban's gang associates think when their leader gets killed at a meeting where the guy he was supposed to meet didn't show up? They might attempt revenge the very next day, kidnapping or killing Nuria and Carlito.

Or more likely his lieutenants would fight to get the control of the gang. There will be long period of chaos.

You are assuming loyalty, which is unlikely there.

Gangs like any other enterprise are about money.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

I'm not assuming anything. We (and the Jackal) don't know how the gang will react. Loyal to the Cuban or not, having their boss killed makes the gang look weak. Not doing anything about it would make them look even weaker. Other gangsters might take advantage of that perceived weakness to take over their turf. Assuming that the gang will just sit back and do nothing is a huge risk.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

his guard on the personal watercraft doesn't bother shielding him. Instead, the guard attempts to chase down the Jackal's high-performance boat, not realizing how futile that would be.

That is understandable, just because they are paid does not mean they are willing to die for the guy.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

The guard didn't have to sacrifice his life, he only had to position the PWC to block the Jackal's view. If he had just stopped, UDC could have taken cover behind the vessel. Given that the Jackal had already shot the guard on the other PWC that approached, taking off toward him was a bigger risk to the guard's life.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

Use boat as cover was a good idea. But the high priced bodyguards UDC paid might not be any good.

They might be more about appearances.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

The only thing I did not feel right was Bianca found his rifle, I thought Jackal took it with him. It was such an impressive gun.

[–] letess (1803) 2 months ago

The gun that was bespoke for his boot was disassembled and put in his gold backpack that he escaped with. Right? Bianca didn’t get that one.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

But she showed the suitcase and the assembled gun later in MI6 office, so somehow she got to the gun.

[–] letess (1803) 2 months ago

Yes. You’re right, That was the botched one. He left it behind. He didn’t need that one anymore anyway. It was designed to conceal the rifle in his shoe. So after it served its purpose then - the killing of Tejero and eventually UDC and guard in Croatia - he got some rifle obviously not made by Norman bc he didn’t need a specialized one. But he also got a boat stabilizer as well as use of the boat.

[–] LukewarmCereal (91) 2 months ago

The gun Bianca assembled at the office was the prototype of the Jackal's suitcase gun, which she shot out of Norman's hand when he escaped from MI6 the first time.

She did also get the boot gun after the failed assassination of UDC, but that was a single-use gun made for that specific job.

The Jackal kept the suitcase gun with him all the way to the end of the series.

[–] fc31 (6099) 2 months ago

You could be right, but we never saw the gun again. We know the gun killed UDC was likely reused to kill that gangster, but not the first gun.

If the gun shows up in later seasons then we can be sure.

[–] LukewarmCereal (91) a month ago

The Jackal's suitcase gun was used to kill: The German politician entering the hospital, the gangster in Spain, and UDC. For the last two, it was mounted on a gimbal to counteract the boat's movement.

The Jackal retained this gun throughout the series. He still had it with him when he crashed avoiding hitting the child in the road while he was on the run.

Bianca never got hold of the Jackal's actual rifle. She got an early prototype model of it which Norman tried to take with him when Bianca's team raided his place.

[–] fc31 (6099) a month ago

The gun used to kill UDC was made separately, there was an entire episode on making it, and it was used to kill the gangster in Spain, according to Bianca.

When Bianca said the gun was used to kill UDC, he did not mention German politician's name. There was no "and".

[–] LukewarmCereal (91) 19 days ago

It's the same gun, stripped of its pistol grip and mounted on a steadycam style gimbal mount for stability.

In episode 1, being used to shoot the politician:
https://i.gyazo.com/fb51c9a68c293c5c2b0f5b2d0085031a.jpg

In episode 9, being used to kill UDC:
https://i.gyazo.com/59edafd42baa8ef6220a3e67b45f7cbf.jpg

[–] fc31 (6099) 19 days ago

It does look similar.

[–] TylerAArse (2937) 2 months ago

Seriously, tho. Since when does any movie or series live up to the book. Be for real.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

The 1973 movie is excellent and is a faithful adaptation of the novel. That is the version I'd recommend to anyone who enjoyed the novel.

This series has very little in common with the book other than the title and some vague similarities in the general plot outline.

[–] Letess (138) 2 months ago

The book is fantastic but the film is a masterpiece. Made in 1973 and it’s set in 1962 de Gaulle’s France. On many best film of all time lists. So unless you are interested in older movies and the OAS trying to murder de Gaulle by using an assassin, then I don’t know. You get to see Italy and France and London and Geneva. The detective work is done in a way you can’t imagine and it is brilliant for that time period. The one I’d avoid is the ‘90s remake.

This series is really good. Redmayne is as good as Edward Fox. You will like it.

[–] letess (1803) 2 months ago

I read the book and saw the movie. That’s 1962 de Gaulle. There is no way anybody is going to redo that.

This is a really good series and Redmayne is excellent. He’s a different Jackal than Fox, but he’s essentially the same. All the boxes were ticked from the original - road accident, gay guy, cheated out of getting paid, interlude with a woman, zealous detective hard on his case, hiding weapon in shoe boot/crutches, torture, missing his target the first time - but of course the ending is different because there will be a S2. French security tried to curtail de Gaulle’s exposure, but he was not having it. What are the odds of original Jackal missing that first shot. Unlikely - but it is in the book and in the movie.

I did like Lebel much better than Bianca - but what she did is written in the script. I feel sorry for anybody that worked with her or for her. But Bianca was my least favorite.

The Jackal in first movie (I dismiss the one with Willis and Gere) might have been cool-headed but he made a lot of mistakes - driving and not looking where he was going, hooking up with chateau lady and not being discreet. Being an expert shot - how did he miss? Not really that cool-headed and taking a lot of risks. It explains this in the book. He was afraid he have to not only give back what the OAS gave him, and not get the remaining balance, but that they would come after him and kill him. Oh wait, this sounds like this one we just saw.

This series was really great. At first, I had reservations as you did only because this is one of my favorite all time movies. But a remake can’t be the same in this modern day and age. It is difficult to write a character who can maneuver through all the modern intelligence agencies. It would also seem to me if airport security does have eye scans that it can’t be linked to multiple passports - but maybe that is just the US.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

I don't mind if they update the story to the current time period. The Bourne Identity did that quite well, bringing in a whole bunch of new tech. The problems with this series are that they completely changed the main character and they turned a believable story into one that requires complete suspension of belief.

The Jackal of the book and movie was an expert sniper but he wasn't trying to break any world records. He shot from less than a quarter of the distance. He also wasn't able to predict de Gaulle's every movement.

The Jackal of the series was a superhuman who could see into the future and make impossible shots.

To shoot Fest through a revolving door, he had to accurately predict the position of both Fest and the door seven seconds into the future. He did know the path Fest would take and might be able to make a reasonable guess as to how quickly he would move. However, the rotation of the revolving door would be as random as a roulette wheel.

The position of the door would determine whether the bullet had to pass through one pane or two, and how much it would deflect each time based on the angle at which it hit the glass. The Jackal would have to calculate where to aim in order for the bullet to be deflected into Fest's head. And he had to do those calculations before the door was even put in motion.

Since that's not actually possible, it really was just a crapshoot. Had he missed, he wouldn't have gotten another chance. That would have meant not only losing the payment but also damaging his professional reputation.

The Jackal from the book and movie didn't gamble like that. Sure, not everything went according to plan. He crashed his car because someone else was driving on the wrong side of the road. But that was just the random unpredictable nature of life, not intentional gambling on his part. Seducing the woman and sleeping in her room was actually a strategy to reduce his risk in case the police showed up at the hotel overnight.

[–] letess (1803) 2 months ago

The sniper scenes were the best part for me. I am not familiar with the reality of sniper hits. I liked that he had the science of predicting shots. I can only say after watching Fincher’s The Killer where Fassbender in a similar sniper scene gives a long-winded speech about how patient and meticulous a hit man has to be and monitors his heart-rate with a smart watch in which a reading under 60 is optimal for the assassin - that there is lot I don’t know so I felt I was being informed. I loved the green water scene and the revolving door delayed sniper shots. They were highlights for me - sad to say that.

In the movie, the Jackal crashes his car because he was tired as he was yawning and he was going fast - the oncoming guy was in the middle of the mountain road. In the book, there was no crash; he ditched the car. In the end, the Jackal doesn’t get the job done and he’s killed so something went throng. Bested by Lebel? But, the movie and the book were phenomenal. I just think Redmayne’s Jackal and Fox’s are very similar and efficient and expert, except Redmayne’s is more compassionate and he’s allowed himself to fall in love. Lebel is essentially replaced by Bianca in this and that part is not the same. Lebel in the movie was a favorite of mine. Redmayne was nominated for a Golden Globe and deserves it - likewise the series.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

Redmayne's Jackal says something similar, that he would wait "as long as it takes" for his target to show up. A statement which makes his rush job on Fest even more inexplicable.

The movie Jackal reacted immediately to the car cutting the corner, so I don't think fatigue contributed to the crash. He was driving fast though, probably wanting to get to the Montpellier chateau before dark.

I'm probably judging the series a bit harshly because the movie is one of the best police procedurals ever made. When I heard about the series, my hopes were raised for another great policier whose longer running time would allow it to go into even more detail and include things that had the movie had to omit. Unfortunately they went for a standard action thriller instead.

[–] letess (1803) 2 months ago

I agree with you on everything you say. The best police procedural ever made. On Kurosawa’s best film list as well. When you think Colonel Rolland had only a few key words and probable mission to give to Lebel, i.e., Kleist, foreigner/fair, secret and jackal and he solved this puzzle. Cha Cal was an epiphany that didn’t pan out and was the twist at the end with the unknown grave.

But even if you say it’s not as good as the original, people will never watch the original and if they did, they won’t like it as much as you or I did. One person on this site did see the original after people like you and me suggested it and he said the Jackal (Edward Fox) was too goofy. So, most people expect in their own head someone else - not cerebral or cunning. An action character.

This TV version got better I think because of Redmayne. I miss the magic of Lebel. It’s very difficult to capture the original. Plus, they want a season 2 so that changes the ending. But I will look forward to S2. But yes to The Day of the Jackal 1973 being one of the best police procedurals ever made and just a great film.

[–] Bartholomew (102) 2 months ago

Yes, Redmayne was an excellent choice. I also thought the newly introduced character of Zina was intriguing, with one toe in the world of the super rich and powerful. I might watch season 2 to find out her next move, and also to see if my hunch about Gary turns out to be correct or not.