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Overall Rating
1.92

Awesome: 9.21%
Worth A Look: 13.16%
Average: 2.63%
Pretty Bad: 10.53%
Total Crap64.47%

5 reviews, 46 user ratings


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Jackal, The
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by Filmink Magazine (owes us money)

"Willis is as weak as dishwater and just about as tasty."
1 stars

If you're planning on seeing The Jackal make sure you don't miss the opening credits because these are most certainly the only bit of the film worth watching.

Willis plays a ruthless assassin code-named The Jackal who is hired for a top secret mission by international cutthroats (with no apparent motive other than thuggery) to make a bloody and public statement (about nothing really in particular). This weighty mission is to be carried out by assassinating someone important (?) in the U.S government.

The FBI catch on to this brilliant plan but apparently aware of their own incompetence, they decide to hire an IRA assassin to trace The Jackal's movements and stop him in his tracks.

If you think this is all a little vague you are right. The hazy plot and non-existent character development can probably be summed up in this dreadful quote which had the audience in stitches:

" I wonder if we'll ever really know who he (The Jackal) was." " He was evil - that's all we need to know."

And that is about all the explanations you will get.

A thriller without any suspense just doesn't work. The film's pace is nail-gnawingly tedious and the countless scenes of unexplained US/KGB meetings add nothing to the story except to pat it out to a feature length balls-up of dull cliches.

Willis is as weak as dishwater and just about as tasty, sporting a cringing array of fake toupees and crooked moustaches in order to allude the not too bright FBI agents.

Depending on your priorities it may be worth paying money to see Richard Gere in a tight black T-shirt, but other than that, this film really doesn't have much to offer. ---Melissa Bolliger

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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=464&reviewer=14
originally posted: 09/14/98 02:15:58
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User Comments

11/15/09 Glenn Irwin A dollop of excrescence from beginning to end ..... and that Bejaysus Oirish accent!! Gimme 1 stars
7/26/09 the dork knight Of course, today we would simply cast a REAL Irishman. A truly weird thriller. 4 stars
9/03/08 Shaun Wallner Intense Action!!! 5 stars
8/13/08 Brenda boring. not a single likable character. 1 stars
12/15/07 Pamela White Willis shows how to evade by changing appearance 4 stars
6/04/07 John G It was this , or watching the Jerry Springer show 2 stars
1/28/07 action movie fan tough gusty action film the best movie of 1997 way better than titanic 5 stars
1/23/07 Sepi53 good one! 4 stars
5/23/06 tatum Certainly capable until awful finale; doesn't hold candle to original, though 4 stars
5/12/06 tommyjarvis Reviewers all have no sense of humour. This movie's great 4 stars
10/27/05 chris a great film worth watching i advise to all 5 stars
8/20/05 ES This movie actually would have been better if the lead roles had been reversed 2 stars
5/28/05 Naw Pay Zawgyi Poor Jack! Quaint Gere! 1st LAdy suspiciously hillary-like. 1 stars
11/09/04 Queen of cool The best fucking movie ever made 5 stars
8/19/04 courtney a decent movie with a sum what slow start and mid section but a great chase in the end 4 stars
7/29/04 Alan Another semi-classic turned into mindless drivel. 1 stars
7/27/04 DM What are Bruce Willis and Sidney Poitier doing in this mess? 1 stars
6/21/04 Samuel he way Jack Black died.the movie wasn't good, but it was great the way Jack Black died. 2 stars
11/28/03 john insulting and stupid and lousy action - there is a great original folks! 1 stars
1/16/03 Charles Calthrop Junk. Even Fred Z's version wasn't a perfect adaptation, but this pitiful flick... waste. 1 stars
12/29/02 Jack Sommersby Colorfully entertaining. Superbly acted -- Gere is wonderful! 4 stars
2/17/02 ACBCorp Totally unconvincing rip-off. Watch 'Day of the Jackal' and save money & frustration... 1 stars
10/10/01 jawsboy the ending is the most fun. bruce could have been better, as well as the story sfx. 3 stars
8/28/01 MIKE COBUNR WELL DON REALLY 4 stars
8/25/01 R.W. Welch Barely passable cloak and dagger stuff, not at all convincing. 2 stars
11/28/00 Cristopher Revilla I prefer watching the original than this piece of shit! I want my money back!!!!! 1 stars
11/25/00 The Evil Penguin the plot has more holes than SWISS CHEESE 2 stars
5/29/00 Cooke Bruce Willis is awesome. 5 stars
5/07/00 RSW Great Movie! One of Bruce Willis's best preformances. 5 stars
4/12/00 the Grinch Bruce Willis is no Edward Fox. Do yourself a favor, rent Day of the Jackal..avoid this crap 2 stars
3/23/00 Richard Wright The film is horribly acted, its not suspenseful at all and the finale is laughable. Shit. 1 stars
10/12/99 Ataraxia All round, a decent movie 4 stars
7/24/99 Hagbard Celine SHELLEY, you must be joking or retarded. This is a complete dog. 1 stars
4/27/99 Lucas jackson This movie was great until the ending,the Jackal should have got away 4 stars
4/10/99 Shelley a great movie. if you had your eyes open you might see that i'm right 5 stars
12/11/98 Scion of Graveheart This movie blows and so does Mercury Rising. Doomed to failure. End of story. 1 stars
11/24/98 Fred The greatest assassin in the world ... who gets killed by Richard Gere. 1 stars
11/24/98 Mr.Pink Braindead entertainment, which is at least better than Armageddon 3 stars
11/05/98 Lord Of The Dunce Oh LORD was this AWFUL!!!!!!! Not even for Willis fans. 1 stars
11/02/98 MR HOLLYWOOD !! hahahahahahahahahahaha....LOAD OF CRAP.....hahahahahahahahahahahaah 1 stars
10/18/98 Kwyjibo I'd go so far as to say this was WORSE than Speed 2 and Batman & Robin. 1 stars
9/02/98 pooky the bald The worst disguise in history 1 stars
8/30/98 Matt Willis tries to play a strong, silent type, and ruins it every time he opens his mouth 2 stars
8/24/98 The Capital City Goofball Just lame. Not exciting, not funny, not necessary. 1 stars
8/23/98 Mister Whoopee Somebody stop this Bruce Willis thing. 1 stars
8/21/98 Pete I felt violated. And if I ever meet the costume designer -- an arse kicking for them 2 stars
IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA
  14-Nov-1997 (R)

UK
  N/A

Australia
  08-Jan-1998 (M)




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