Taglines: How do you stop an assassin who has no identity?
The Jackal movie storyline. In Moscow, the FBI and their Russian counterpart, the MVD, are working on a joint mission to apprehend Russian mobster Ghazzi Murad specifically for the murder of Mayor Nikolai Semankho. During the arrest, they are forced to kill Ghazzi.
Ghazzi’s brother, Terek Murad, also a mobster, begins his own form of deadly retribution against the MVD for Ghazzi’s death. But the FBI and MVD also get wind that Terek has hired an assassin by the code name Jackal to carry out a hit on a high profile but unknown American target for the Americans sticking their nose in Russian affairs.
Intelligence points to that target being Donald Brown, the Director of the FBI. The Jackal is known only by name and reputation but no one in authority knows who he is, what he looks like or if he even really exists. They learn of only one person alive who they know has had ties to the Jackal: former Basque separatist Isabella Zanconia, whose whereabouts are unknown.
As such, the FBI and MVD decide to turn to the one person they know who has had ties to Isabella: Declan Mulqueen, who is currently in an American prison serving twenty-five years for his deadly IRA activities. To their surprise, Declan purports to have met the Jackal. Although they are unable to meet all his demands including not being able to guarantee his release and return back to Ireland after all is said and done, Declan agrees to help them on the promise that they will do their best to meet that request.
What happens is largely a function of Declan’s relationship with his two handlers, the MVD’s Major Valentina Koslova and FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston, the latter in particular who does not fully trust Declan. It is also affected by the nature of the history between Declan, Isabella and the Jackal. Through it all, Declan may, if given the opportunity, do what Carter believes he will do, which is run without keeping to his side of the bargain.
The Jackal is a 1997 American political action thriller film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, and starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier. The film, which is a loose remake of the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, involves the hunt for a paid assassin.
The Jackal was released on November 14, 1997, with an opening weekend totaling $15,164,595.[1] It would go on to gross $159,330,280 worldwide. Against its $60m budget, the film was a financial success.
The original score for “The Jackal” was composed by Carter Burwell. It was never officially released on CD, although Burwell uploaded select cues from the film to his website. The project was not a happy experience for Burwell; he disliked the script, and disapproved of producer Danny Saber’s remix of his score.
The Jackal (1997)
Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones
Starring: Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier, Diane Venora, Mathilda May, J.K. Simmons, Richard Lineback, John Cunningham, Jack Black, Tess Harper, Leslie Phillips
Screenplay by: Chuck Pfarrer
Production Design by: Michael White
Cinematography by: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Film Editing by: Jim Clark
Costume Design by: Albert Wolsky
Set Decoration by: Kate Sullivan
Art Direction by: Raymond Dupuis, Ricky Eyres, John Fenner, Bruton Jones
Music by: Carter Burwell
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and language.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: November 14, 1997
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