Day...Day of the Jackal
The best film I ever saw was double vie de veronique. However, at that time I saw it, I had decided my purpose in life was to write poetry, and in order to do this I had to wear a black roll neck sweater and go "what does it MEAN". Now, it's a good film, esp if you want to see Irene Jacob's cunt. But it's not the film I think you should see. That one's Day of the Jackal.

Day of the Jackal has it all. Edward fox you say? In a cravat? And once the director has dressed el Fox in the cravat what does he do with him? Has him galavant around a goregously shot France seducing ladies by talking about the merits of combine harvesters. Then, when he's banged them, he murders them more easily than you'd believe possible and escapes in a bad disguise.

it's got everything this film. Lets look at the cast and their acting Charlie Hungerford out of Bergerac plays a spy. You've got edward 'never worn jeans' fox. And you've got drax out of moonraker as the goodie! Want more? Oh, it's got more.

You've got Cadefel playing a french detective talking to another french detective. Of course, they speak in English, only one of them uses a comedy french accent and the other doesn't. That goes on throughout the film. Imagine acting in it! You step up and deliver your line in your coolest accent "Zeese threat iz ze greatezt zreat to De Goll" only to have your co actor reply back as if he was reading an ominous shipping forecast on Radio 4.

You've got Edward Fox killing by punching a guy in the gut, and then shooting a water melon. You've got the Alfa. You've got the "Please could I 'ave a glass of water" bit, and the "My name is jaques" bit in the gay turkish bath. Classic. And the ending, don't want to go into it, really, suffice to say that an exploding bullet blows up half a paving stone next to CDG and he doesn't notice!

The film's full of flaws and the IMDB message board lists them all obsessivly. But it doesn't matter. It's a great film, taut, goregous, and tense. What a format - you know that CDG wasn't assassinated, and yet as the Jackal evades all the traps, the tension mounts. "How is he going to get stopped now" you think, as he waits with his cool gun. I forgot to mention the gun. coolest gun in cinema history.
The version I have is from about 1986 and it stops half way through for Sandy Lyle to talk about teh blacks striking in the mines in S Africa then an advert for the times with Mike Gatting, and then the Do Tell Sid one. Everytime I watch it I feel homesick for somewhere I've never been.
Great film

And for that reason, I'm in.
(sirolimus, Fri 18 Jul 2008, 15:02, 4 replies)

I has
to agree with you.

That was an ace film and much truer to the book than that shite American remake starring Bruce Willis.

And I'm not knocking Bruce - I've loved some of his films - but the original is just so much better. (And the book is better still)
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Fri 18 Jul 2008, 15:26, closed)

Wasn't there a suspect by the name of...
Charles Calthorp or something?
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Fri 18 Jul 2008, 15:36, closed)

His name is Charles Calthrop
Yeah. spoiler,

Turns out Charles was fishing in scotland the whole time so they said "If he Wasn't charles calthrop who the bloody hell was he"

Charlie Hungerford out of Bergerac tips the French off that he's Charles Calthrop "Terrific shot, and look, his initial are CHA CAL. which is French for Jackal"
(sirolimus, Fri 18 Jul 2008, 15:51, closed)

Tis good
Read the book about 4 times and the original film does follow it a lot closer, but I do still have a guilty pleasure of watching the remake. Maybe as the guns are slightly bigger.
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 18 Jul 2008, 16:01, closed)