Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier, Diane Venora
• Directors: Michael Caton-Jones
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: April 28, 1998
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783226888
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,729 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Movies & TV > Mystery & Suspense > Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem > Assassination
  #35 in	Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Action Stars > Bruce Willis

• For more information about "The Jackal - Collector's Edition" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The best way to enjoy this 1997 thriller is to forget the much better film that inspired it (1973's The Day of the Jackal) and get whatever kicks you can from this heavy-metal remake. It's not bad as hokey thrillers go, but all of the original film's suspenseful finesse has been traded in (not traded up) for bigger, bolder action and nonsensical plotting. It's as if Hollywood had forgotten to create excitement without resorting to overblown action and heavy hardware, but there's ample compensation in the casting of Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. Willis is the elusive assassin known only as the Jackal, whose latest target (he uses a cannon-sized gun that's anything but inconspicuous) may be the first lady of the United States. Gere plays a former IRA terrorist who is recruited by the deputy head of the FBI (Sidney Poitier) to trace the Jackal's maneuvers, and Diane Venora offers some gutsy support as a Russian-born agent who assists Gere on his mission. The movie has fun turning Willis into a master of disguise, and Gere adds much-needed gravity to counter the plot's escalating absurdity, but this is the kind of film that falls apart if you think about it too much. Still, that doesn't stop the Collector's Edition DVD from offering an impressive array of bonus features, including a director's commentary, a "making of The Jackal" documentary, deleted scenes, an alternative ending, cast interviews, and more. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Actors, Superior Plot but Falls Short in Delivery, May 31, 2008

By	Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

Director Michael Caton-Jones has created a good dramatic and suspense filled film with outstanding actors and a riveting, masterful plot. Bruce Willis plays the lead role as the "Jackal" a cold and calculating assassin. Sidney Poitier is superbly cast as the FBI Deputy Director. Richard Gere plays Declan Mulqueen, an IRA. terrorist, imprisoned in the USA. Diane Venora is cast as the Russian Interpol agent, Valentina Kostova. Scenes were filmed in many locations in Europe, primarily Helsinki, Finland which also served to represent Moscow, and London, England; Montreal, Canada; Chicago, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Essentially, the FBI and Russian agents managed to kill a Chechnyan mobster. Unfortunately, his brother is out for revenge and hires the Jackal to assassinate a top US official ... Initially, they believe the target is the Director of the FBI. However, as time evolves, Declan Mulqueen discovers who the real target is.

Bruce Willis is chilling and real in his role as the Jackal. He engages in multiple disguises and identities throughout the film to achieve his goals. He manages to get a computer guided high tech weapon built and smuggled into the United States undetected. He gains entry into the US via a power boat over the Lakes from Canada to Lake Michigan and there he joins a boat race in Chicago by blending in. The FBI gets permission to spring Declan Mulqueen out of jail ... in order to get his help to identify and apprehend the Jackal. He makes a deal to win his freedom, then joins in the chase to catch the Jackal.

It turns out the Jackal has another murder in mind along with accomplishing the task for which he was hired. The Jackal has an old score to settle with Isabella, a woman from his past who can identify him. She survived his attempt to kill her. She was a Spanish terrorist of Basque origins who worked with Declan Mulqueen many years ago. They had been lovers and she was pregnant with his child when the Jackal shot her ... It seems Declan Mulqueen also has a score to settle with the Jackal. While the plot is well developed, the film drags on a bit, as much of the film involves chasing the Jackal while he deviously manages to avoid detection, When he gets closer to his target and the deadline ... the film picks up speed and the story becomes more fascinating and complex. The ending is exciting and satisfying. Some feel the film made in 1973, "Day of the Jackal" upon which this film is based, is superior. Never having seen the former, I can only judge this film. Overall, this could have been a *more* exciting film given the action, drama, and well layed out plot but too much time is wasted in the big chase which makes one feel the film is much longer than it should be. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very poor remake of a classic, October 22, 1999

By	Great Movie Addict (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jackal [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I missed "The Jackal" when it was released, but the promo's all said it was a modern remake of the classic "Day of the Jackal". Forget it! Not only is this a bad remake, it's so boring I trashed it halfway thru and never want to see it again. Put your time and money into the original "Day of the Jackal" and see what a great movie-maker like Fred Zinneman and company can do with a story like this.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars absolutely abysmal..., February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jackal [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Oh no!!! What in the world is this??!!! This film is supposed to be based on Forsyth's brilliant novel, dealing with an assasination attempt on Charles de Gaulle in Paris? Ok, so the average American viewer probably wouldn't be able to find France on a world map, much less know who Charles de Gaulle was. I can understand the need to move the movie to a location that Americans can relate to (America, of course), and to provide us with the first lady as an all-American victim. But why did the movie have to be so extremely unrealistic, openly insulting the intelligence of any viewer? Here are just a few examples: How likely is it, that the CIA and the KGB would require the help of an IRA terrorist to find the Jackal? How likely is it, that said terrorist would dutifully and honorably help them, to the point of almost having an erotic relationship with one of the KGB's iron ladies? Why in the world does the Jackal go through all that trouble to build an elaborate cannon with video-guidance that can be radio-controlled from miles away via satellite, only to stupidly sit 10 yards away from the crime scene while firing? Why would an IRA terrorist who has murdered dozens of innocent civilians in cold blood suddenly care about the life of an unknown little girl he has never seen before? Here he has the Jackal and the little girl at gunpoint - he only needs to pull the trigger to get his long-sought revenge. He opts instead to mushily save the girl's life, drop his gun, and place his life in the hands of the Jackal. Isn't it great that he has adopted the moral values of a good, law-abiding citizen? And why does his former terrorist partner-turned-housewife wear an evening gown when she shows up at the last instant to shoot the Jackal from behind and save the day, like in hundreds of bad movies before this? Good thing she had a spare gun hidden under her laundry for the last 20 years... Seriously, this movie hurts, even if you haven't read the book. If you know the book, which deals with a professional killer's brilliantly and meticulously executed assasination attempt, this childish display of technology and fireworks will put you in agony. From the opening scene to the utterly predictable, cheesy showdown, this movie can only be considered a bad joke. If this movie were a comedy, the lapses of reason could be excused, but it takes itself very seriously. The only reason this movie merits two stars is because of the acting talent of Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. Sadly, they can do nothing to save the story.