SERIES REVIEW – Who is the Jackal, really? Is he a billionaire who jet-sets around the world from his lavish estate? A fixer who cleans up messes, quite literally? Or just a hired gun who happens to be the best sharpshooter alive? According to Eddie Redmayne and SkyShowtime’s new series, The Day of the Jackal, he’s all of these and so much more.

At its core, The Day of the Jackal is a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. Redmayne’s Jackal earns his keep by taking down society’s elite, charging exorbitant fees for his services. He’s a ghost—his identity remains a mystery, he leaves no trace, and he lives with military-like precision. Redmayne masterfully transitions between personas, exuding warmth and charm one moment and becoming a cold-blooded killer the next. His portrayal pays homage to espionage film legends, channeling the icy precision of Alain Delon in Le Samouraï and the chameleon-like adaptability of Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible.

A Deadly Game of Cat and Mouse

After a high-profile political assassination, MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch) is tasked with an impossible mission: track down and eliminate the world’s most dangerous assassin. Bianca will stop at nothing—even if it means leaving a trail of bodies behind her.

Lashana Lynch shines as Bianca, capturing the character’s inner turmoil as she balances her sense of justice against the bloody consequences of her actions. The series cleverly blurs the lines between hero and villain, posing the question: how different is Bianca from the Jackal? The answer is as unsettling as it is clear—neither is entirely just.

This isn’t the first adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of the Jackal. The 1970s film is considered one of the finest British movies of the 20th century, with its target being none other than Charles de Gaulle, then-President of France. Updating this for modern audiences, the new series replaces de Gaulle with a fictional philanthropist whose software, River, promises to reveal how billionaires spend their wealth. For those in power, this level of transparency is a threat they can’t tolerate.

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it…”

For any assassin-centric story to succeed, the assignments must be gripping, and The Day of the Jackal delivers on that front. While the Jackal takes on only a handful of jobs throughout the series, each episode brims with tension—whether it’s a meticulously planned hit or a pulse-pounding chase. Ironically, despite being the antagonist, the Jackal often draws the audience’s sympathy. His assassination attempts, with their clever setups and high-stakes execution, are undoubtedly the series’ standout moments.

However, stretching the story across multiple episodes introduces some narrative bloat. The most notable filler comes in the form of Ursula Corbero’s Nuria, who is intended to humanize Redmayne’s character but ultimately represents his one glaring misstep. For a cold, calculated assassin, forming a romantic attachment feels out of place—a fantasy in an otherwise pragmatic world.

Nuria’s subplot contrasts sharply with the series’ other characters, many of whom are genuinely intriguing despite their brief appearances. Timothy Winthorp (Charles Dance) commands attention with his effortless charisma, evoking Dance’s most iconic roles. Similarly, Richard Dormer’s Norman, a black-market arms dealer specializing in 3D-printed weapons, is a scene-stealer. Eleanor Matsuura’s Zina Jansone also leaves a lasting impression, serving as the Jackal’s enigmatic intermediary.

A Thrilling Yet Occasionally Overstretched Ride

Despite its occasional pacing issues, The Day of the Jackal is an engrossing thriller. Eddie Redmayne and Ronan Bennett deserve praise for crafting not only a compelling anti-hero but also supporting characters whose fates genuinely matter. The weight of the Jackal’s actions and the bodies left in his wake add a layer of gravity, making the series one of the year’s standout surprises.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-