 "A movie saved by the Bruce Willis bell" | 2010-02-17 |
| - Reviewed By Functional atheist, philosophical agnostic, mental seeker from Stockholm, Sweden |
"The Jackal" is a remake of the 1973 movie "The Day of the Jackal". In that movie, a professional hit man known only as The Jackal is hired to assassinate French president De Gaulle. His perfect murder plot is foiled only at the very last second, in a closing scene that's almost a cult classic. In the new version, The Jackal is hired by a foreign mobster to take out a high ranking American official. Soon, both the FBI and the ex-KGB are on his tail.
Unfortunately, the new version is very boring. It's saved by Bruce Willis, an excellent actor when not forced to make trivial "Die Hard" sequels. Willis stars The Jackal, who turns out to be a sociopathically overconfident terrorist who looks somewhat gay! I didn't know Willis could look gay, but it seems this man can do pretty much anything. I like him best in the last part of the movie, when The Jackal slowly but steadfastly looses his grip. The transformation from overconfident Übermensch to hunted crazy animal is pretty convincing. Two other good actors involved in this production are Sidney Poitier and Richard Gere.
And yet, not even the presence of three Hollywood stars can save this production. The original movie was clever, almost too clever. The new film is simply one of many action thrillers. It contains all the usual stereotyped plot elements: a bunch of Russians, a stupid backwoods nerd who can build *really* big machine guns, a closing fight between the Bad Guy and the Good Guy...and, of course, a Bad Guy that dies really hard! Those who remember the original version will gasp at the rather silly remakes of the various plot elements. Not to mention all the loose ends...
But yes, Bruce Willis was excellent. I guess you could say that "The Jackal" was saved by the Bruce Willis bell. That's the only reason why I give it three stars (the OK rating).
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 "100% Pure Bruce Willis" | 2010-02-02 |
| - Reviewed By J. G. Crawford |
| Even though Bruce plays such a violet criminal there is still something fascinating and almost endearing about him. Maybe it's because this is the very first Bruce Willis movie that I saw in which he played a horrible villain. In "The Jackal" Bruce plays the title character, a ruthless assassin who will not let anyone or anything get in his way. This movie is also notable for featuring Bruce Willis' only same-sex kiss. This was totally unexpected and kinda hot because this is not in line with his character's persona at all. The film starts out somewhat slow-moving but it sure picks up pace once the Jackal goes to work. Besides Bruce, I also especially enjoyed Diane Venora as a Russian major who is almost as smart as the Jackal. What's also memorable about this movie is all of the different looks that Bruce goes as the Jackal commits his crimes. My favorite look was the one he had for the shortest period, with the scruffy facial hair and mustache and short dark hair and cowboy boots. Like a fine violinist, Bruce plays this role with precision and art because he is constantly able to keep the viewers captivated. |
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| "Checked it out to test my theory that Bruce Willis has never made a bad movie" | 2009-11-18 |
| - Reviewed By Bill from Dacono, Colorado USA |
| I always think back to when he came on the scene on Moonlighting. Liked his character of course, but it never occurred to me that he would become a great actor like he has. Since then he's established himself as the sure thing in movie quality. He had to go a bit with this character, bad guys make him work harder I think. As mentioned by others some of the special effects were cheesy but consider the time it was made, 1997. It's an edge of your seat thriller from start to finish and has a very satisfying ending. Great cast, even Richard Gere turns in a good performance, and it's good to see Sidney Poitier again. He does a great job. I highly recommend this movie for action thriller fans. |
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 "Bruce Willis rocks!!" | 2009-09-05 |
| - Reviewed By Roger J. Buffington from Huntington Beach, CA United States |
This film is essentially a modernized remake of the famous film (which was based on the famous novel) "The Day of the Jackal" by Frederick Forsyth. It features modern day politics and, of course, modern day technology. What the film really features, however, is an excellent cast dominated by Bruce Willis, who turns in a superb performance. Instead of being a kind, sensitive type, as in "The Sixth Sense" once again Willis is a cold, brutal, and competent killer. He pulls it off brilliantly, and it is Willis' performance that carries the film. Sidney Portier and Richard Gere also turn in fine performances. Gere, in particular, manages to really come across as an Irishman--none of the phony-sounding accents that have grated on several otherwise good performances in other recent films. (Harrison Ford in "K19" comes immediately to mind).
Mostly the film moves at a good clip and holds the viewer's interest. The storyline, which retains many similarities to "The Day of the Jackal" rarely drags, and includes plenty of action. I enjoyed this film, and will watch it again. Recommended. RJB. |
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 "It tries, and in the end it fails" | 2009-05-24 |
| - Reviewed By Eric S. Kim from Southern California |
The only good things about this movie are Bruce Willis, Sydney Poitier, and Jack Black. And that's about it; the rest of the movie is anything but special. It's an almost worthless movie if it weren't for the three actors mentioned above. The plot had some interesting elements, but what ruins the film are pretty much everything else. Richard Gere, especially, turns out to be quite annoying and incredibly dull. The chemistry between him and Diane Verona's character didn't work at all. I almost felt like I skipping their scenes and focusing only on Willis.
The good editing, music, and cinematography turn out to be a waste in The Jackal. I should have watched the original 1973 film instead. |
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| "Credibility-Aside, It's A Fun Watch" | 2009-05-23 |
| - Reviewed By Craig Connell from Lockport, NY USA |
Here is an almost-typical modern-day crime film in which a hired killer goes after a political figure and the FBI tries to stop him.
The cast of Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier and Diane Venora is first- class. All of them play interesting and likable characters - even the villain! Gere did a credible job with an Irish accent and Venora the same, playing a Russian. It was fun watch Willis with his various disguises. The story keeps your interest all the way. It does it right by not having too much action, but shocking and memorable when it does occur. If you have good speakers there is some great sound in the last 20 minutes. A good movie if you like suspense.
If I mention some of the "bad" stuff, it gives away the ending. Suffice to say you see a number of scenes where credibility goes out the window.
Overall, however, the film is definitely worth a look. |
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