by Joseph Davis, Contributing Writer
Normally, for Out of Market, I like to stick to movies that are non-English language, with some exceptions. I also tend to try and focus on movies that never really saw a wide release in the United States. However, this time I feel like an exception is worth making because of, as of the time of writing, a new series reimagining the story of the character known only as “The Jackal” makes visiting this 1973 film all the more worthwhile to me, as I am more than intrigued in potentially watching the series and seeing how well the original adaptation compares to the new. That and after watching this movie, I feel like it works well as a follow up to the movie The Battle of Algiers, as the events that movie tells fits perfectly well with this movie.
The first thing I want to dig into with this movie is the character of The Jackal. The fact that Edward Fox already portrays him as a very charismatic character is an immediate and phenomenal aspect of the character, allowing him to get where he needs to and to get close to those who can, unwittingly, help him. However, he’s well-written to also be highly analytical, taking anything he can into consideration as he aims to complete his mission, making him all the more believable as a contract killer the OAS seeks out after the choice of allowing Algerian Independence. This both gives the OAS more depth as an organization, based on the limited contact they have with The Jackal, but also shows them to be a competent, albeit evil, group whose methods and goals are coldly calculated. A political thriller like this can easily fall into a trap where the evil organization feels comical, but in this case they feel like a real organization one could hear about in the news.
Another thing I want to talk about with this film is the side who is investigating who The Jackal is and how to stop him. Once again, it would be easy to make a character in this portion of the setting be almost comically inept, but the writers of this movie do a good job of making each member of who is involved in the investigations and those who are in contact with them seem reasonable, even including a character who unwittingly gives information to the OAS. It gives them a grounded feeling, as they constantly feel to be one step behind the Jackal, but at the same time constantly closing the trap around him to prevent any escape. Nothing any of the characters do seems out of the blue, and for a movie like this that is key. It would be all to easy for a character to be able to determine something without a hint of explanation. But in this case, you see the Jackal using his forged documents and the response when someone reports the use of the document up the chain of command.
The final aspect I want to discuss is a simple decision: Aside from the names he uses and that of a possible suspect, the movie never establishes the identity of The Jackal. Just that he’s a contract killer who uses a code name and aliases. This gives the character a deeper sense of mystery, as you wonder who it is that they’re looking for, and as you think one identity has been blown to capture him, he drops that persona and immediately finds another one. It would be so simple to have them identify everything about the character, but the choice to have him be an enigma just works perfectly. Who he is ultimately would undermine the point of the character if it wasn’t for the choice to leave that as an ultimate mystery.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to watch this one, you absolutely need to take time out of your week and give it a chance. Even if you don’t care to watch the series as it releases, this is a political thriller worth engaging with. Each moment as you reach the climax you wonder if the Jackal will succeed or if the French police can spring the trap on him at the last moment.
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