Eddie Redmayne Is a Cold Killer in Stylishly Sharp ‘The Day of the Jackal’ Adaptation

Alci Rengifo

Peacock’s gripping adaptation of “The Day of the Jackal” may attract some viewers out of sheer name recognition. Its title is taken from the classic 1971 novel by Frederick Forsyth, which has already been turned into two movies. The first, directed by Fred Zinnemann, use the novel’s title and is a faithful, brilliant take. In 1997 it was updated with “The Jackal,” an absurd yet stylish version starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere This should all be mentioned because almost none of it matters when watching this excellent series, which stands on its own. The plot has been expanded, tweaked and updated for the 2020s, driven by a coldly alluring Eddie Redmayne.

Redmayne plays the story’s titular assassin, a skilled killer who we first see assassinate a populist politician in Munich, firing from a ridiculously long distance. He is the Jackal, after all. The murder rings alarm bells at England’s MI6, where Bianca (Lashana Lynch), a skilled agent, draws connections to the work of a mysterious killer everyone knows is out there but can’t identify. She’s a weapons expert with a particular knack for snipers. Bianca has little time to spare and she is assigned with capturing the Jackal when it becomes evident he may have a new target. Indeed, the assassin has been hired by a cabal of conspirators who wish to get rid of Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla), a philanthropist behind new software called River. The software will make transparent for the public how billionaires spend their wealth. No wonder he is a marked man.

The Jackal is a villain easily adaptable to whatever era he pops up in. The Forsyth novel introduced him as a British assassin hired by French right-wingers to kill French president Charles de Gaulle, out of anger at losing Algeria as a colony. In the ’97 movie, Bruce Willis’ Jackal was hired to kill the First Lady of the United States. It’s also worth mentioning that in the 1970s, the book gave infamous real life terrorist Carlos the Jackal his nickname, after a copy was rumored to be found in his safe house. Considering the power big tech wields, it makes perfect sense for writer Ronan Bennett to find a believable target in Khalid Abdalla’s Ulle Dag Charles, who we first see mostly on television screens expounding on the need for transparency when it comes to the world’s richest people. However, this is not an airy message thriller. 

“The Day of the Jackal” is a stylish, slick series that lets Eddie Redmayne transform onscreen. Playing cold is difficult and Redmayne manages to make the character gripping even when he holds back all emotion. As in the original story, this is primarily a cat-and-mouse game. Bianca hunts for suspects and links to her target, mercilessly interrogating and blackmailing whoever she can, grabbing former IRA guerrillas and threatening to imprison their family members. This intercuts with the Jackal’s fascinating maneuvers to build new identities, acquire untraceable vehicles and change his appearance. A master of disguise, the character is perfectly rendered by Redmayne even when disappearing under pounds of fake makeup to pass for a German businessman. Another update from the novel and movies is the Jackal using contacts like Norman (Richard Dormer), to get specific weapons. Now they are 3D-printed. 

If there is a slight flaw to this “The Day of the Jackal,” it’s the inevitable challenges of elongating the story for streaming. The premise worked so well in movies because it lends itself to tight storytelling where everything builds to a suspenseful standoff at the end of two hours. This serial version fills in space by having the Jackal travel endlessly to sumptuous locales, either for mysterious details in his plans or personal reasons. The biggest of the latter is Nuria (Ursula Corbero), the Jackal’s Spanish lover who is in the dark about how he makes so much money. Early on the seed is planted that she is starting to get suspicious. At least this storyline allows Redmayne to soften up his character and give him some emotion. The Jackal’s greatest challenge turns out to be not MI6, but sustaining a relationship with lies and the inevitable revelation that he is a killer.

“The Day of the Jackal” is worth watching with breaks. Too much of a binge may dent its allure. Like its predecessors, part of the excitement is in the details. The opening sequences set up the tone with meticulous attention to the way the Jackal chooses his disguises and prepares to kill his prey. Lashana Lynch compliments Redmayne with focused intensity as the agent determined to take him down. It is two perfectionists going to war. This story could still make a riveting movie, yet we’re living in the streaming age and it packs a unique sharpness. It also doesn’t necessarily glamorize the titular assassin. The Jackal is actually tragic, when you really think about it. So much talent at the service of taking lives for money. The character is so well played by Redmayne we can forgive the show’s slow burner impulses. This is a thriller that actually merits our full attention.

“The Day of the Jackal” begins streaming Nov. 14 on Peacock.