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in: Films, 1990s films, 1997 films, Mutual Film Company films

The Jackal (1997)

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The Jackal 1997 poster 3

The Jackal is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, and starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere and Sidney Poitier in his final film role. The film involves the hunt for a paid assassin. It is a loose remake of the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, which starred Edward Fox and was based on the 1971 novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. Although the film earned mostly negative reviews from critics, it was a commercial success and grossed $159.3 million worldwide against a $60 million budget.

Storyline[]

Plot[]

During an FBI raid on a Moscow nightclub, the brother of Russian gangster Terek Murad (David Hayman) is killed. Murad wants revenge and hires anonymous hit man the Jackal (Bruce Willis) to kill FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston (Sidney Poitier). With the help of Russian agent Valentina Koslova (Diane Venora), Preston finds the only man who knows what the notorious Jackal looks like, imprisoned IRA terrorist Declan Mulqueen (Richard Gere), and forces him to help hunt down the hit man.

Genres[]

  • Action
  • Thriller
  • Adventure
  • Crime Fiction

Motion Picture Rating[]

  • 13 (Argentina)
  • MA (Australia)
  • M (Australia) (cut)
  • KT/EA (Belgium)
  • 14 (Brazil)
  • 18A (Canada)
  • 18+ (Canada) (Ontario)
  • 13+ (Canada) (Quebec)
  • 15 (Denmark) (DVD rating)
  • K-16 (Finland)
  • K-15 (Finland) (DVD rating)
  • Tous publics (France)
  • 16 (Germany) (w)
  • 16 (Iceland)
  • A (India)
  • 18+ (Indonesia) (self-applied)
  • T (Italy) (DVD rating)
  • C (Mexico)
  • 16 (Netherlands)
  • 12 (Netherlands) (TV rating, slightly cut)
  • M (New Zealand)
  • R16 (New Zealand)
  • 15 (Norway) (DVD rating)
  • 18 (Norway) (1998, cinema rating)
  • 14 (Peru)
  • R-18 (Philippines)
  • 12 (Poland) (self-applied)
  • M/12 (Portugal)
  • M18 (Singapore)
  • 18 (South Korea) (original rating)
  • 15 (South Korea) (video rating, cut)
  • 18 (Spain)
  • 15 (Sweden)
  • 16 (Switzerland) (canton of Geneva)
  • 16 (Switzerland) (canton of Vaud)
  • 18+ (Turkey) (DVD rating)
  • 18 (UK)
  • R (USA)


Images[]

Cast and Crew[]

Director[]

  • Michael Caton-Jones

Writing Credits (WGA)[]

  • Kenneth Ross (earlier screenplay Day of the Jackal)
  • Chuck Pfarrer (screen story)
  • Chuck Pfarrer (screenplay)

Cast[]

  • Bruce Willis - The Jackal
  • Richard Gere - Declan Mulqueen
  • Sidney Poitier - Preston
  • Diane Venora - Valentina Koslova
  • Mathilda May - Isabella
  • J.K. Simmons - Witherspoon
  • Richard Lineback - McMurphy
  • John Cunningham - Donald Brown
  • Jack Black - Lamont
  • Tess Harper - The First Lady
  • Leslie Phillips - Woolburton
  • Stephen Spinella - Douglas
  • Sophie Okonedo - Jamaican Girl
  • David Hayman - Terek Murad
  • Steve Bassett - George Decker
  • Yuri Stepanov - Victor Politovsky
  • Walt MacPherson - Dennehey
  • Ravil Isyanov - Ghazzi Murad
  • Maggie Castle - 13 Year Old Girl
  • Karen Kirschenbauer - Speaker
  • Terrence Currier - Surgeon General
  • Daniel Dae Kim - Akashi
  • Michael Caton-Jones - Man in Video
  • Laura Viederman - Woman in Video
  • Peter Sullivan - Vasilov
  • Richard Cubison - General Belinko
  • Jim Grimshaw - Green Beret Colonel
  • Gregory Porter Miller - Paramedic (as Greg Miller)
  • Bob Kingdom - Ambassador Koldin
  • Murphy Guyer - NSC Representative
  • Philip Le Maistre - Bored Teenage Clerk
  • Serge Houde - Beaufres
  • James McCauley - CIA Rep. #1
  • Terry Loughlin - Davis
  • Victor Sobchak - Doctor
  • Serge Christiaenssens - Immigration Officer
  • Boris Boscovic - Interrogator
  • Ewan Bailey - Prison Guard
  • Danette Alberico - Woman with Champagne
  • Debra Gano - Woman with Champagne
  • John Harrington Bland - Dave (as John Bland)
  • Pamela Poitier - Law Clerk
  • Jonathan Aris - Alexander Radzinski
  • Eddie Bo Smith Jr. - Washington Cop (as Eddie 'Bo' Smith Jr.)
  • Larry King - Larry King
  • Dan Ziskie - CIA Rep. #2 (as Daniel Ziskie)
  • Gayle Jessup - Reporter
  • Bill Collins - Medic
  • David Gene Gibbs - Pilot
  • James M. Helkey - Co-Pilot

Other Cast (in alphabetical order)[]

  • Jim Clark - Narrator on TV (voice) (uncredited)
  • Mikhail Gorbachev - Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • Vladimir Lenin - Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • Ronald Reagan - Self (archive sound) (uncredited)
  • Tsar Nicholas II - Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • Tsarina Alexandra - Self - with the Tsar (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • Boris Yeltsin - Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Producers[]

  • Michael Caton-Jones (producer)
  • Terence A. Clegg (executive producer) (as Terence Clegg)
  • Sean Daniel (producer)
  • Mark Gordon (executive producer)
  • James Jacks (producer)
  • Kevin Jarre (producer)
  • Gary Levinsohn (executive producer)
  • Hal Lieberman (executive producer)
  • Sean T. Stratton (associate producer) (as Sean Stratton)

Details[]

Country[]

  • USA

Language[]

  • English

Release Dates[]

  • November 14, 1997 (USA)
  • December 4, 1997 (Singapore)
  • December 13, 1997 (South Korea)
  • December 18, 1997 (Hong Kong)
  • December 19, 1997 (Thailand)
  • December 20, 1997 (Cameroon)
  • December 25, 1997 (Argentina)
  • December 25, 1997 (Brazil)
  • December 25, 1997 (Mexico)
  • December 29, 1997 (Spain)
  • 1998 (Chile)
  • January 1, 1998 (Taiwan)
  • January 8, 1998 (Australia)
  • January 9, 1998 (UK)
  • January 9, 1998 (Ireland)
  • January 15, 1998 (New Zealand)
  • January 16, 1998 (Turkey)
  • January 21, 1998 (France)
  • January 23, 1998 (Finland)
  • January 30, 1998 (Denmark)
  • January 30, 1998 (Iceland)
  • January 30, 1998 (Italy)
  • January 30, 1998 (Poland)
  • February 1, 1998 (Yugoslavia)
  • February 4, 1998 (Belgium)
  • February 5, 1998 (Hungary)
  • February 6, 1998 (Portugal)
  • February 11, 1998 (Philippines)
  • February 19, 1998 (Slovenia)
  • February 19, 1998 (Slovakia)
  • February 25, 1998 (Russia)
  • March 6, 1998 (Norway)
  • March 12, 1998 (Germany)
  • March 12, 1998 (Netherlands)
  • March 13, 1998 (Switzerland) (German speaking region)
  • March 27, 1998 (Estonia)
  • March 27, 1998 (Lithuania)
  • April 17, 1998 (Greece)
  • April 17, 1998 (Sweden)
  • April 22, 1998 (Kuwait)
  • June 20, 1998 (Japan)
  • August 16, 2011 (Canada) (Blu-ray release)
  • October 10, 2017 (Indonesia) (Blu-ray release)
  • February 16, 2021 (India) (internet)

Production[]

The film began in production development from August 19 to November 30, 1996. It was filmed in international locations such as Porvoo, Finland, including its special effects. The film began production titled The Day of the Jackal, but the author of the original novel Frederick Forsyth and the director and producer of the original film Fred Zinnemann and John Woolf opposed the production. They eventually filed an injunction to prevent Universal Pictures from using the name of the original novel and film, and it would be marketed as being "inspired by" rather than directly based on Forsyth's novel. Edward Fox also refused to make a cameo appearance in the film for similar reasons.

Chuck Pfarrer had written the first script to fulfill contractual obligations to the studio, then Kevin Jarre did a rewrite to Pfarrer's script, contributing the backstory and character of the Richard Gere character.

An early test-screened version of the film had an innocent man shot by Willis' character hiding out in a gay bar. The audience loudly cheered the killing, which came to the attention of GLAAD. Chaz Bono (the group’s entertainment media director) spoke with Jackal producer Sean Daniel, who arranged to have the scene re-edited. Bruce Willis successfully fought to keep a same-sex kiss in the film.

Reception[]

Box office[]

The Jackal was released on November 14, 1997, with an opening weekend totaling $15,164,595. It went on to gross $159,330,280 worldwide, against a $60 million budget.

Critical response[]

This film has a 6.4 rating on IMDb and a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Company Credits[]

Production Companies[]

  • Universal Pictures (presents)
  • Mutual Film Company (presents)
  • Alphaville Films (as An Alphavil Production)
  • Tele München Fernseh Produktionsgesellschaft (TMG) (produced in association with) (as Tele-München)
  • UGC PH (produced in association with)
  • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (produced in association with)
  • Marubeni (produced in association with) (as Marubeni/Toho-Towa)
  • Toho-Towa (produced in association with) (as Marubeni/Toho-Towa)
  • H2L Media Group

Distributors[]

Special Effects[]

  • Banned from the Ranch Entertainment (BFTRE) (computer screen image overlays)
  • Foundation Imaging (visual effects animation)
  • Illusion Arts (special visual effects)
  • Intrigue (special effects)
  • Perpetual Motion Pictures (effects animation)
  • The Computer Film Company (CFC) (digital matte painting)

Technical Specs[]

Runtime[]

  • 124 mins

Color[]

  • Color

Aspect Ratio[]

  • 2.35:1

Trivia[]

  • Frederick Forsyth, who wrote the novel "The Day of the Jackal", insisted his name be taken off the credits of this film, which is why it is billed as "based on the screenplay".
  • After the filming of this movie, Bruce Willis and Richard Gere reportedly vowed to never work with each other again.
  • This isn't the first time Richard Gere was considered for a role that Bruce Willis got. The first was the role of John McClane in Die Hard (1988), which Gere turned down.
  • Because Richard Gere and Bruce Willis filmed many of their scenes separately, they would often ask each other "How's your movie going?" when they'd meet.
  • In his first scenes, Richard Gere has a mustache and goatee, as he wanted to have a different look. The studio was unhappy, so Gere and the director shot an extra scene, in which Gere asks for a razor after accepting the job, to explain his clean-shaven appearance in subsequent shots.
  • Before Bruce Willis was cast, Richard Gere was offered the role of The Jackal. He turned it down and instead asked if he could play the hero.
  • In an early scene involving Richard Gere, an episode of Kojak: Birthday Party (1976) is showing in the background. Gere was in this episode.
  • A few months before his death, Fred Zinnemann, director of The Day of the Jackal (1973), fought with Universal to change this film's title. He said the original had stood the test of time, and he didn't want the remake to have the same title.
  • When Bruce Willis is dressed as the police officer, the name on his badge is "sharpshooter"
  • Richard Gere and Diane Venora worked with language coaches to develop their accents.
  • The large, remote-controlled machine gun is a mock-up of the Soviet-designed KPV (Krupnokaliberniy Pulemyot Vladimirova) Heavy Machine Gun. The weapon used for the mock-up is actually an American M2HB .50BMG Heavy Machine Gun with a lot of parts added to it to make it look like a KPV. The name "Polish ZSU-33" is fictional.
  • Sir Sean Connery, Liam Neeson, and Matthew McConaughey all turned down roles.
  • This is the last movie with a theatrical release that Sidney Poitier appeared in.
  • The scene with them being dropped off on top of a Bank of America building was filmed in Norfolk, Virginia.
  • Originally Richard Gere was offered the Jackal role and Bruce Willis was the hero role. Both decided to reject them and switch parts.
  • (At around thirteen minutes) The "Hotelli Porvoo" is the old town hall (it is now a museum) in Porvoo. The "Porvoo Post Office" is a furniture restoring service. These are located near Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
  • The pursuit scene in the Metro was not shot in Washington, D.C., but in Montreal, Quebec. Radisson was the first station, and Lionel-Groulx the second one. The stations are at opposite ends of the green line.
  • Bruce Willis tells Jack Black the rounds are depleted uranium and they 'spall'. When depleted uranium rounds hit a hard target, like a car, they essentially explode into thousands of tiny, red-hot, self-sharpening uranium needles. For a soft target, such as a person, the fact the rounds are depleted uranium are almost irrelevant due to the caliber size he uses.
  • Richard Dean Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Jeff Bridges, Gary Busey, Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Tommy Lee Jones, Michael Keaton, Liam Neeson, Ron Perlman, Dennis Quaid, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, Sylvester Stallone, and Patrick Swayze were considered for Declan Mulqueen.
  • Edward Fox is rumored to have rejected a cameo role.
  • In the movie "Uphall Station" is mentioned as a small town outside Ottawa. Uphall Station is, in fact, a small town in Scotland a few miles from director Micheal Caton-Jones's home town, Broxburn.
  • Mathilda May's daughter Sarah, aged 3, replaced the original girl who got sick a few days before shooting started.
  • "Endtrack" by Massive Attack, the song that plays over the end credits, is actually an alternate remix of their song "Dissolved Girl".
  • Richard Gere's first action film in years along with The Double (2011).
  • Bruce Willis' hand double is English actor Lester J. Adams.
  • Average Shot Length = ~5.1 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~5.2 seconds.
  • The loyalty of the arms manufacturer and document forger were swapped around from the book and earlier film. In the book and earlier film the arms manufacturer maintains confidentiality of his customer whereas the forger seeks to blackmail the Jackal. This reversed in this film.
  • Kevin Jarre did an uncredited rewrite on the screenplay, contributing the backstory and character of Declan Mulqueen.

Connections[]

Remake of[]

  • The Day of the Jackal (1973)

References[]

  • The Untouchables (1987) - Poitier refers to himself as an "Untouchable" after saving First: Lady's life and Murad disposes of a member of his gang similatrly to Capone in the De Palma film.
  • Deadly Pursuit (1988) - Preston (played by Sidney Poitier) says to Mulqueen, "We'll shoot to kill-them and you." Poitier previously appeared in the movie Shoot to Kill (1988), also playing an FBI agent.
  • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) - Freddy is an anonymous person known as the Jackal

Referenced in[]

  • Hot Fuzz (2007) - DVD seen in supermarket DVD bin.
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