39/24
The Jackal is an elusive assassin who makes his living carrying out assassinations for the highest pay. He soon meets his worthy rival in a tenacious British intelligence officer who tracks him down in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. Check out our list of renewals and cancellations to see if your favorite show has been picked up. Forsyth worked as a freelance journalist covering the Biafran War. When it ended, he returned to Britain, unemployed and unsure of what to do next. He said: “I came back Christmas ’69, completely broke. I haven’t got a chance of getting a job, I’ve got no flat, I’ve got no car and I’ve got no savings. Then I had this crazy, crazy idea to write a novel. ‘Everyone said you must be joking or crazy because the chances of seeing it published were hundreds to one, even thousands.’ Within weeks of publication, the film rights were snapped up. Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars battled 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. (Air Mail) Quoted in The Graham Norton Show: Denzel Washington/Paul Mescal/Saoirse Ronan/Eddie Redmayne/Blossoms (2024). Eddie Redmayne gives a spellbinding performance, embodying the titular assassin with a chilling precision that makes him both terrifying and magnetic. Redmayne’s meticulous approach to the role heightens the tension, making his every move seem calculated and inevitable. His ability to blend charm and menace ensures that the audience is simultaneously disgusted and fascinated, capturing the essence of the character’s duality. Unfortunately, Lashana Lynch’s performance pales in comparison, coming across as wooden and uninspired. Her portrayal of a determined secret agent lacked depth, often coming across as one-dimensional and too reliant on cliches. In a series that thrives on nuance and detail, her character’s lack of complexity stands out in a negative way. Overall, the film is a compelling adaptation, but it struggles at times with uneven performances. Redmayne’s brilliance alone makes it worth watching, but Lynch’s shortcomings do detract from the experience slightly.