The Day of the Jackal

I certainly did not have Eddie Redmayne as The Jackal on my streaming series bingo card for this year but there you go. It's great to see a classic novel given such a lavish production and it all plays really well as far as I'm concerned. The locations look gorgeous, the action sequences thus far, have been gripping and the performances have been compelling. Like other reviewers, I don't buy Lashana Lynch as the MI:6 operative and feel she was miscast in the role. On the flip side, it's always good to see Charles Dance flexing his acting muscles. Úrsula Corberó is lovely to watch on screen though I fear she's been a little underused.

Otherwise, a fine piece of old school cloak and dagger entertainment.

Eddie Redmayne was truly brilliant in this, he was on point for all the different characters he's plays on the show, and makes an excellent villain, however you are always rooting for him... because the female lead (Lynch) isn't great.. she comes off as insanely arrogant, and cold hearted, even to her own family and colleagues and in no way do you want her to catch him. She shows no emotion at any point in the series, and you end up just hating her character. However the jackal - you see 2 sides, his assassin side but then the side he spends with his family, where you understand him a bit more.

I loved the different location shots across Europe, and the fact the jackal knows these different languages.

I really hope there's another season, but think they need to rethink the female lead.

I must agree with many other reviewers, this is a great production with good atmosphere and Eddie Redmayne does a great job in the lead role as the Jackal but the female lead just ruins the whole thing. It's a total miscast using an actor who, can't show any facial emotion regardless of the situation and who almost approaches overacting possibly in an effort to make up for the lack of understanding or appreciating the character. The character is obviously meant to be confident and experienced but it's portrayal is one of a cocky 'I know best' woman who for one, has no appreciation of evidence walking the suitcase through the general office. She's just so irritating and unbelievable.

Something about Lashana just didn't work for me-I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm not sure why they chose her for that role. She wasn't terrible, but it bugged me the entire time. :(

Eddie Redmayne absolutely nails it as the assassin, bringing a chilling, magnetic energy to the role. He's terrifying but somehow impossible to look away from, and every move he makes feels super calculated. Redmayne's mix of charm and menace is spot-on, making the character both fascinating and unsettling. Lashana Lynch as I said doesn't quite measure up. Her performance as the no-nonsense intelligence agent feels flat and a bit cliché, lacking the depth you'd expect from a story like this. In a movie that thrives on detail and complexity, her character comes off as one-note and underwhelming.

Overall, the film is intense and gripping, but the uneven performances hold it back a bit. Redmayne's incredible performance makes it worth checking out, even if Lynch's misses take away some of the impact.

The Day of the Jackal (2024) offers a gripping narrative with Eddie Redmayne delivering a standout performance, embodying the intensity of his character. The series' cinematic style is refreshingly authentic, reminiscent of a time when storytelling felt grounded and realistic. However, the casting of Lashana Lynch as Bianca Pullman detracts from the series. Her portrayal lacks the depth and expression required for the role, which feels like a misstep. Without this casting issue, the series would easily be a 10/10. Hoping future episodes maintain the high bar set and deliver a satisfying conclusions.