The Jackal ★★½ 1997 (R) The plot has more holes than Swiss cheese but thanks to a pro cast this film manages to be at least a workmanlike thriller. Willis stars as a killer-for-hire known only as "The Jackal." His latest employer, a Russian gangster, wants revenge for FBI interference in his business, and the Jackal's target is apparently the FBI's Director. Few know what the Jackal looks like and the most available is Declan Mulqueen (Gere), an IRA gunman imprisoned in the U.S. He's given a deal by good FBI guy Preston (Poitier) and the hunt is on. Unfortunately, the Jackal's elaborate preparations don't raise the tension, though they do provide some gross-out moments. The end game (in the D.C. subway) between the Jackal and Mulqueen provides a satisfying conclusion and Willis does excell as the ice-cold killer. Started off as a heavily reworked version of the 1973 assassination thriller "The Day of the Jackal" but most of the associations have been cut. 124m/C VHS, DVD. Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier, Diane Venora, Mathilda May, Stephen Spinella, John Cunningham, J.K. Simmons, Tess Harper, Richard Lineback, Jack Black, David Hayman, Steve Bassett;
Director:
Michael Caton-Jones;
Writer:
Chuck Pfarrer;
Writer:
Karl Walter Lindenlaub;
Cameo:
Carter Burwell.
