Day of the Jackal TV Review – Eddie Redmayne is a steely killer in gripping cat-and-mouse drama

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Every good assassin knows how to maintain an emotional distance from the job. But only in exceptional cases can a physical distance of 3.8 km be maintained between him and his victim. It takes seven seconds for the bullet fired by the sniper in the window of a skyscraper on the horizon to hit the target. It still takes a few minutes for the police to reach the room on the 17th floor of the high-rise building, which the shooter has long since left.

This is how it begins The Day of the Jackala new 10-part Sky series based on Fred Zinnemann's 1973 classic – itself an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's novel. Written by Great boy According to creator Ronan Bennett, it's not so much a copycat remake as it is a clever, contemporary take on the assassination premise – something perhaps better viewed as a standalone book rather than an attempt at a near-perfect political thriller to revise.

At its core, the story is still a gripping game of cat and mouse as the calm and fleet-footed assassin known as the Jackal evades the law enforcement agencies hot on his trail. While the original film revolved around a semi-factual right-wing conspiracy to eliminate Charles de Gaulle after the Algerian War, the series is set in a fictional present that does not explicitly reference real characters or political contexts. It feels timeless and a little generic at the same time.

The details of who hired the assassin to take care of whom and why cannot be revealed here. In truth, it hardly matters – at least not to the discerning jackal, who seems motivated neither by money, influence, ideology or self-interest, but only by a job well done.

He is played by Eddie Redmayne, whose boyishness at first seems at odds with the work of professional murder, until one witnesses the dispassionate coldness with which his Jackal kills. A man of irreplaceable age with an affable but unobtrusive manner, he can transform into anyone as needed.

But the series seems intent on dispelling the mystery surrounding the enigmatic mercenary, with scenes showing him at home with an increasingly suspicious woman (Úrsula Corberó). It's hard to tell whether these are designed to explore an unexpected humanity or reinforce its callousness. They seem more like clunky digressions.

Similar problems exist in the parallel storyline, which focuses on MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch), who is both an adversary for the Jackal and a relentless and ruthless counterpart. The show clearly wants to define her better as “knows guns, trouble in the ass” (as one superior puts it), but the scenes from her personal life where she feels guilty about missing her daughter's parents' evening or being in a hurry had to The Abandoned Dinner only serves to immerse the character in clichés.

However, the series rarely misses its mark as it changes its scope from half-baked domestic drama to full-throttle procedural thriller. The series won't last as long as the film, but it has enough tension and action to make it an entertaining film.

★★★☆☆

Episodes 1-5 will be available to watch NOW from November 7th and on Peacock in the US from November 14th. New episodes are released weekly