The Jackal (1997)

Directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Starring Richard Gere, Bruce Willis, Sidney Poitier, Diane Venora, Mathilda May, J. K. Simmons, Richard Lineback, Jack Black, John Cunningham. [R]

Preposterous and dumbed-down remake of Fred Zinnemann’s great 1973 thriller The Day of the Jackal; barely even resembles its source aside from the codename of the international assassin (Willis) hired to kill an American target. Gere affects a terrible accent as an IRA killer sprung from prison to assist in stopping him, joined by FBI Deputy Director Poitier and Russian Major Venora. Swaps out the scintillating suspense and clinical precision of the original for clunkier plotting, heavier firepower, and cruder thrills. Poitier’s reputation survives intact, Venora comes closest to playing a fully-realized character (she should have been leading the manhunt instead of Gere), and Willis looks as bored as he usually does when the material he’s given is so devoid of interest. It must be a bad movie if the best part is the opening credits set to Massive Attack’s “Superpredators (Metal Postcard).” Poitier’s final feature film performance.

32/100