The dirty business of assassination gets a cinematically cool makeover in this tense, terse, studiedly paced Sky update of Frederick Forsythe’s thriller. It features a svelte and enigmatic Eddie Redmayne as the titular killer, and a solemn Lashana Lynch as MI6 sniper expert Bianca, determined to nail him. The parallel narrative, suggesting that the hunter and the hunter’s hunter are not so different – both ruthless, both siloing off work and family life – is effective if unoriginal.
There are breathless action sequences and car chases, a set of international locations of which London is the loveliest, and plenty of time to ogle the way Redmayne’s impeccable wardrobe drapes his athletic frame. Plus lots of engrossing business involving disguises, dismantlable guns and bespoke firebombs. There are obvious echoes of the Bond and Bourne franchises, but the stylish, slick Jackal more neatly fills the Night Manager sized hole in our viewing schedules.
