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The Day of the Jackal episodeepisode 11 review:review: Style,Style, bloodblood andand nervenerve
The Day of the Jackal (TDOTJ). I can’t wait to get into this underappreciated series with you all. I went into ‘The Day of the Jackal’ S1 E1 with zero knowledge or expectations. Despite this genre not usually appearing on my watchlist, I am so violently hooked that I’ve gotten through three episodes after intending to watch only one!
First, let’s break down what made this first episode so incredible. We need more action-packed thrillers like this one. We need to question ourselves, the people around us, and why we do the things we do.
WARNING: Spoilers for episode one below!
Characters discussed in order of first mention:
- Eddie Redmayne plays The Jackal
- Lashana Lynch plays Bianca Pullman
- Úrsula Corberó plays Nuria
- Kate Dickie plays Alison Stoke
- Katherine Devlin plays Emma Stoke
The Day of the Jackal S1 E1
TDOTJ: One hell of a premise
We meet ‘The Jackal’, a mysterious figure, already killing people in Germany. He stages a break-in to injure a politician’s son, thus luring him into a trap. The lethal and terrifying precision with which he acts is expertly conveyed through close-up camera shots. In addition to the brilliant camera work is the writers’ commendable devotion to the general rule of ‘show, don’t tell. ‘ As an audience member, I am unsure who this deadly assassin is or why he’s doing this. Yet I am no less spellbound as we wait to find out.
Meanwhile, professional detective Bianca Pullman makes it her mission to uncover and apprehend this criminal. The expert assassination has already sent shockwaves around the world, threatening the security of the world’s leaders. This is heightened by the revelation that he is working for a group that already has its eyes on another target.
TDOTJ: Villains and… Heroes?
No less rewarding is the revelation that The Jackal’s motivation is to support his young family: his wife, Nuria, and their son. Above all, Redmayne allows us to sympathise with a character whom I could otherwise describe only as a monster. Struggling to balance spending time with his family with the demands of his work, we begin to realise the killing isn’t personal for him, it’s a means to an end.
Bianca is comparatively fleshed out and complex, as Lashana carries us with her fearsome characterisation of this driven career woman. In her mission to bring this hunter down, she goes to extreme lengths, using a past “friend”, Alison Stoke, to track The Jackal down. Bianca even employed state-sanctioned violence and bullying against her daughter Emma to secure his location from her. It is only when this last effort goes disastrously wrong that we begin to question who is really on the right side here.
The Day of the JACKAL s1 e1
Upon finishing this riveting first episode, I was conflicted about who to root for. The writers have torn apart the obvious tropes of the thriller genre, replacing them with a masterfully disturbing subversion. It’s less gratifying to witness the rivalry between the cold-blooded killer and the heroic investigator. Nonetheless, my attention was held by gritty action, compelling acting, and a host of characters who feel so real they could walk past me in the street.
Both The Jackal and Bianca let their families down in pursuit of their aims, the latter being far from selfless in her ambition. The Jackal himself remains an enigmatic figure for now. Moreover, I look forward to seeing how this destructive parallel between our two main characters unfolds.
Finally, The Day of the Jackal is available to stream on NOW.
Image credits: Marcell Piti/Sky.
