"The Day of the Jackal"

[dalton99a]

Based on Frederick Forsyth's best-selling novel of political intrigue, The Day of the Jackal, tells of a cold, suave British assassin hired by the French OAS to kill General Charles de Gaulle. Nameless and faceless, the killer, known by the code name of Jackal (Edward Fox), relentlessly moves toward the date with death that would rock the world. The tension mounts as the methodical preparations of the Jackal are paralleled with the efforts of the police to uncover the plot, which gives the story non-stop, edge-of-your-seat suspense.

[JoseBalow]

1. The book was so much better than the film

which I found to be way too long and boring. Same thing with The Odessa File, really great book but another long and boring film. Maybe if the screenwriting and editing were done better in either case it would have made a difference, or maybe Forsyth's novels are just not well-suited for film adaptation. I tried re-watching them years later, and couldn't finish either one to the end. I would definitely re-read the books though.