26/50

The Jackal is an elusive assassin who makes his living by carrying out murders for large sums of money. He soon meets his match: a tenacious British intelligence officer who follows him on a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe as a freelance journalist covering the Biafran War. When it was over, he returned to Britain, jobless and unsure of what to do next. I have no prospect of work, no flat, no car and no savings. Then I had this crazy, crazy idea to write a novel. “Everyone said you must be joking or mad because the odds of it being published were hundreds to one, even thousands to one.” Within weeks of its publication, the film rights were acquired. Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars fought to play the Jackal in the 1973 film, but the role went to the then-unknown Edward Fox because director Fred Zinnemann thought he could blend in with the crowd. (Airmail) Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Denzel Washington/Paul Mescal/Saoirse Ronan/Eddie Redmayne/Blossoms (2024). I certainly didn’t have Eddie Redmayne as The Jackal on my streaming series bingo card for this year, but there he is. It’s great to see a classic novel so lavishly produced, and in my opinion it all works very well. The locations look magnificent, the action sequences so far have been gripping, and the performances have been convincing. Like other critics, I don’t buy Lashana Lynch as an MI:6 agent and feel she wasn’t the right choice for the role. On the other hand, it’s always good to see Charles Dance showing off his acting chops. It’s lovely to see Ursula Corbero on screen, though I fear she’s been a little underused. Otherwise, an excellent piece of old-school swashbuckling entertainment.

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