Wednesday 1 December 2010

The Day Of The Jackal: Blood, Guts and Emilia Fox’s Dad …

You know, I’ve got to admit, the weather around here hasn’t exactly improved …

If I can put it mildly … ?

It’s bloody FREEZING out there …

With parts of Scotland expecting to face 25º C, tomorrow: on a par, I’m told, with some of the chillier parts of Siberia

All I’m thinking is that two of the people I follow in Scotland on Twitter — @EG75 and @Bshjth — aren’t wrong to be commenting …

Ahem … … … !

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At any rate, I wasn’t thinking of writing about the weather when I started this.

But …

I’m British. And can’t occasionally shut up about it …

What I was going to tell you about … ?

Was the film Movie Night Adrian and I managed to catch, last night: the 1973 movie version of Frederick Forsyth’s The Day Of The Jackal.

And isn’t it just fascinating to dig up a classy action thriller, occasionally … ?

Something I think we can call The Day Of The Jackal, I know that.

The Fred Zinneman directed film sees Edward Fox — father of Merlin actress, Emilia Fox — as a seriously professional hitman for hire known only as ‘The Jackal’ hired by agents of the OAS — a group of right-wing anti-DeGaullist terrorists — to try and assassinate the French president, not long long after Algerian independence.

And going about it in a very thorough way, too.

From faking an English passport by using a dead child’s birth certificate, to stealing a Danish one, to buying a disguise over several weeks …

And finding some very novel places for a rather novel snipers rifle.

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Did that sound ambiguous … ?

Naaaaaaahhh …

But at any rate, the original ’73 version of The Day Of The Jackal is a nicely taut little thriller.

And I’m going to suggest very gently you forget the Bruce Willis remake …

And check out the original The Day Of The Jackal.

After all, anything gets me and Adrian discussing the relative merits of electrodes and carpet beaters has to be seen …





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