The Day of the Jackal

“Screenwriter Ronan Bennett is clearly a devotee of classic thrillers, because he has transported Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 bestseller to the 21st century without losing any of its native grit. He delivers car chases and stake outs, gun battles and explosions, political wrangles and terrorist brutality. If you believed, like me, that intelligent, high-octane action serials were no longer possible in a woke world, The Day Of The Jackal proves us wrong.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The series develops into a hair-raising, action-packed cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. We spend time in France, Belarus, Germany and more, with Eddie Redmayne showing off his Spanish, German and French along the way (alongside a range of disguises complete with wigs and prosthetics). Its wide scope makes the series feel sumptuous and expansive: any twist or turn could happen at any moment – and it does. The Day of the Jackal is a thrill ride all the way to the end.”
Emily Baker, The i

“When cat and mouse are equally saddled with work/life balance issues, the main event of the chase is prone to misfire and mid-story sag. Still, the otherness of Redmayne compels. Having played Stephen Hawking and a Danish transsexual, he is a proven master of disguise. Yet somehow, even caked in Latex, there are always the ice-blue pupils and whip-thin frame, the Aardmanesque overbite and Etonian aura.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“This doesn’t rewrite the playbook and is more of a familiar prospect than you might suspect it is going to be at the outset; it is Slow Horses without the sly sense of humour or taste for the absurd, while Redmayne’s mega-range sniper is a kind of Bond gone bad. But even if it doesn’t quite deliver on its early potential, it’s highly enjoyable, trigger-happy stuff.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“While ten episodes indicates just how much the film’s lean precision has been expanded into a very different (and bloated) beast, there is an alluringly deluxe aesthetic – from sun-kissed Euro locales to the discerning use of Radiohead in the background. And, yes, some thrilling moments when Eddie Redmayne’s international man of mystery is staring with lethal focus through the crosshairs.”
James Jackson, The Times