34/19

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Synopsis

The Jackal is an elusive assassin who makes his living by carrying out high-stakes assassinations. He soon meets his match in the form of a tenacious British intelligence officer who tracks him down on a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. Set in 1963, The Day of the Jackal is about an assassination attempt on then-President Charles de Gaulle of France.

Lynch was miscast

The series brings the action to the present day. Mentioned in Graham Norton and guest: Denzel Washington/Paul Mescal/Saoirse Ronan/Eddie Redmayne/Blossoms (2024). In short: Redmayne hits the nail on the head.

Overall, the story is a viable adaptation

Unfortunately, the main characters are not equal, which detracts from the spectacular and high-quality production. There’s no criticism of Lynch, it’s just that Redmayne set the bar high. A more experienced actor could have provided a more believable counterpart/opponent necessary to challenge the Jackal.

The barometer of deception is constantly on in the background

The character development works, although some things are just left open in the main character’s narrative, but that may be desirable. The locations, the varied interactions and Redmayne’s speech pattern, and the character change really add a special layer to the story arc. I can’t wait to see how Se01 ends and how the quality is maintained or improved in Se02.

If that happens, Se02 could be quite promising

I hope Lynch tones down to be less forced and gives a more nuanced performance to try to live up to Redmayne.