Hi, my name is Patrick and I am 22 years old. I live in Nottingham and i enjoy reading books, watchi...
Hi, my name is Patrick and I am 22 years old. I live in Nottingham and i enjoy reading books, watching movies (DVDs + cinema) + computer games.
Member since:05.01.2006
Reviews:22
Members who trust:2
What's the movie about? The Jackal is a suspense thriller based on the screenplay of the 1973 film 'The Day of the Jackal'. A ruthless assassin (Willis) has been hired to eliminate someone at the very top of the U.S government. Constantly changing his identity and location, he is known only as the Jackal. Everything about this hit man, including his sinister timetable, is a secret. Aware of the Jackal's presence but uncertain of his purpose, the FBI's Deputy Director (Poitier) faces the biggest challenge of his career. In order to track down this cold-blooded killer, he and a by-the-book Russian intelligence officer (Venora) enlist the aid of an imprisoned Irish terrorist (Gere). These unlikely allies enter a global race against the clock to stop the mysterious mercenary before he can complete his deadly assignment.
My Thoughts: I first saw this movie a few years back and enjoyed the plot immensely; I thought Willis played an excellent villain and helped to keep my interest in the film throughout. The movie starts off well and the main characters are introduced early on for a 'long' film allowing the plot to develop quickly. Anyone who has seen/enjoyed 'The Saint' starring Val Kilmer will like this movie. There was however a few slow moments during the middle of the film as characters backgrounds were shown which I didn't think were needed but some people will probably enjoy this as it develops the characters. The action sequences are fairly good and suspense is built gradually throughout the movie culminating in a well worked ending but I wont mention what happens as this will ruin others enjoyment.
The DVD: The DVD can be picked up for around £6 and is great value for money. It contains some great features but does not sacrifice video or audio quality which are both very good. The static menu is the only let down but I suppose they needed to save on disc space for the features which was a good move. Included on the disc is a theatrical trailer (1 minute 57 seconds long) plus audio commentary by the director Michael Caton-Jones (skip this unless you're a die hard fan of the movie). The Production Notes explain about the filming locations used but there is a lot of clicking involved as this has been written in big text; still worth a look though. Cast & filmmakers biographies provide brief information about Willis, Gere, Poitier, Venora & Caton-Jones in terms of past films involved in and is interesting if you want to know a bit more about the main actors; again this is text based requiring you to click through a number of screens. The last special feature is a 47 minute making of featurette which involves discussions with the director/actors about the movie direction along with deleted scenes and an alternate ending; this is worth seeing if you enjoyed the film and is the best feature included on the disc. Overall the DVD is very entertaining and provides special features which are usually only seen on Special Editions; for £6 it is a great bargain and highly recommended.
Director: Michael Caton-Jones Main Cast: Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sydney Poitier, Diane Venora,
Rating: 18 Run Time: 1 hour and 59 minutes (approx) Release Year: 1997 Discs: 1 Video: Widescreen 2:35.1 Anamorphic Audio: English - Dolby Digital (5.1); Italian, Spanish (Dolby Stereo)
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Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
The Jackalis filmmaking by numbers: take two huge stars, Richard Gere and Bruce Willis, ... more
and pit them opposite each other in a plot that's already been audience tested. That director Michael Caton Jones' film is based not on Frederick Forsyth's novel bu...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A ruthless assassin (WILLIS) has been hired to eliminate someone at the very top of the ... more
U.S. government. Constantly changing his identity and location, he is known only as the Jackal. Everything about this hit man, including his sinister timetable, is ...
The Jackalis filmmaking by numbers: take two huge stars, Richard Gere and Bruce Willis, ... more
and pit them opposite each other in a plot that's already been audience tested. That director Michael Caton Jones' film is based not on Frederick Forsyth's novel bu...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 weeks...
Bruce Willis is The Jackal - the greatest assassin in history - out to eliminate a top ... more
U.S. government official. Declan Mulqueen an imprisoned underground operative is the only man who can stop him. Now the Deputy Director of the FBI is taking the ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: One of the most underrated action films, Gere suprisingly good, Willis in a class of his own Disadvantages: The finale was a bit of a let down, way too many action film cliches, a few plot holes, Jack Black
Crimsonflame 14.12.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of The Jackal (DVD)
Advantages: Collects three titles that you should never watch in one handy package Disadvantages: Watching these movies could be damaging for your credibility
![The Jackal [DVD] [1998]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78520695.jpg "The Jackal [DVD] [1998]")
Jan 17th, 2006
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