The Jackal is an elusive contract killer who makes his living committing murders for money. He soon meets a headstrong British intelligence officer who tracks him down on a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. Check out our list of renewals and cancellations to see if your favourite show has been axed. Forsyth worked as a freelance journalist covering the Biafran War. When it ended, he returned to Britain without a job and unsure of what to do next. He said: “I came back completely broke by Christmas ’69. I had no job prospects, no flat, no car, no savings. Then I had this crazy, crazy idea to write a novel. “Everyone said it was a joke or that I was mad because the chances of it coming out were a hundred to one, a thousand to one. Within weeks of it coming out, the film rights were gone.” Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars competed to play the Jackal in the 1973 film, but the role went to the then-unknown Edward Fox because director Fred Zinnemann thought he could slip invisibly through a crowd. (Airmail). Quoted in The Graham Norton Show: Denzel Washington/Paul Mescal/Saoirse Ronan/Eddie Redmayne/Blossoms (2024). Eddie Redmayne gives a riveting performance, embodying the titular assassin with a chilling precision that makes him both frightening and magnetic. Redmayne’s careful approach to the role ratchets up the tension, making his every move seem calculated and inevitable. His ability to combine charm and menace ensures that the audience is simultaneously disgusted and intrigued, capturing the essence of the character’s duality. Unfortunately, Lashana Lynch’s performance pales in comparison, coming across as wooden and unimaginative. His portrayal of a determined secret service agent lacked depth, often felt one-dimensional, and relied too heavily on cliches. In a series that thrives on nuance and detail, his character’s lack of complexity stands out. Overall, the film is a compelling adaptation, but it struggles at times with inconsistent performances. Redmayne’s brilliance alone makes it worth watching, but Lynch’s flaws detract from the experience a bit.