The Jackal

Director: Michael Caton-Jones Michael Caton-Jones

Overview

"The Jackal is a dull, lumbering thriller that's painful to watch, not even enlivened by its periodic bursts of bloody violence or the techno-enhanced score by Carter Burwell -- yet it comes equipped with a commentary track by director Michael Caton-Jones that is scene-specific, revelatory in terms of the director's creative approach, and enjoyably detailed in its discussion of the filmmaking process. It is no surprise, however, when Caton-Jones notes that he tried to avoid allowing reality to get in the way of a good story -- an attitude that unfortunately suffuses the film as a whole. The extreme reconstruction and recutting that the film endured is addressed periodically during the commentary, though Caton-Jones never quite acknowledges that, basically, the movie was bad. The dual-layer disc also includes the theatrical trailer, brief production notes, and a lengthy ""Making of The Jackal"" piece that weaves in the expected interviews and on-set bits with a hefty collection of deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and a small stills collection -- the latter three accessible only from the chapter menu for the documentary (the trailer is also included in the chapter list.) The documentary is fortunately leavened by frequent bursts of humor, most of them led by Bruce Willis. From an audio and video standpoint, the disc is excellent, with a well-balanced Dolby 5.1 soundtrack for the main feature. There is also a French Dolby Surround track that tends to be far less subtle in its effects than the English track. The image preserves the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is presented in anamorphic format for 16 x 9 playback. The film transfer is very good, seeming crisp without visible artifacts, as well as maintaining the somewhat subdued color palette and excellent flesh tones. A good balance is maintained between shadows, mid-tones, and highlights, and there are some nice deep blacks. It really is ironic that a movie this poor receives a treatment this good."

Product Details

Release Date:	04/28/1998
UPC:	0025192026225
Original Release:	1997
Rating:	R
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:05:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bruce Willis	The Jackal
Richard Gere	Declan Mulqueen
Sidney Poitier	Carter Preston,Law Clerk
Diane Venora	Major Valentina Koslova
J.K. Simmons	FBI Agent T. I. Witherspoon
Mathilda May	Isabella Zanconia
John Cunningham	FBI Director Donald Brown
Jack Black	Ian Lamont
Stephen Spinella	Douglas
Tess Harper	The First Lady
David Hayman	Terek Murad
Ravil Isyanov	Ghazzi Murad
Maggie Castle	Maggie
Richard Lineback	FBI Agent McMurphy
Karen Kirschenbauer	Speaker
Daniel Dae Kim	Akashi
Serge Houde	Beaufres
Leslie Phillips	Woolburton
Steve Bassett	George Decker
Yuri Stepanov	Victor Politovsky
Jonathan Aris	Alexander Radzinski
Richard Cubison	General Belinko
Bob Kingdom	Ambassador Koldin
John Bland	Dave
Peter Sullivan	Vasilov
Terry Loughlin	Davis
Walt MacPherson	Dennehey
Jim Grimshaw	Green Beret Colonel
Terrence Currier	Surgeon General
Sophie Okonedo	Jamaican Girl
Michael Caton-Jones	Man in Video
Laura Viederman	Woman in Video
Gregory Porter Miller	Paramedic
Murphy Guyer	NSC Representative
Philip LeMaistre	Bored Teenage Clerk
James McCauley	CIA Representative #1
Victor Sobchak	Doctor
Serge Christiannsens	Immigration Officer
Boris Boscovic	Interrogator
Ewan Bailey	Prison Guard
Danette Alberico	Woman with Champagne #1
Debra Gano	Woman with Champagne #2
Eddie Bo Smith Jr.	Washington Cop
Dan Ziskie	CIA Representative #2
Gayle Jessup	Reporter
Bill Collins	Medic
David Gene Gibbs	Pilot
James M. Helkey	Co-Pilot
Carter Burwell	Composer

Technical Credits

Chuck Pfarrer

Kevin Jarre

Michael Caton-Jones	Director,Producer
Chuck Pfarrer	Screenwriter
Kevin Jarre	Producer,Screenwriter
James Jacks	Producer
Sean Daniel	Producer
Gary Levinsohn	Executive Producer
Mark Gordon	Executive Producer
Terence Clegg	Executive Producer
Hal Lieberman	Executive Producer
Noah Blough	Sound Effects
Syd Dutton	Special Effects
Illusion Arts	Special Effects
Bill Taylor	Special Effects
David John	Sound/Sound Designer