The Jackal (1997)

[slugbait 0]

There are so many things wrong with this movie that it's hard to list them all. This movie had huge stars, a huge budget, a terrible script, bad fake accents and Bruce Willis "acting" in several disguises.

 

From the wikipedia entry: "Fred Zinnemann, director of The Day of the Jackal, fought with Universal Pictures to change the title of the movie so it wouldn't share the original's name. Frederick Forsyth, who wrote the novel on which the first film was based, also publicly distanced himself from the remake."

 

This movie also killed Sidney Poitier's movie career. I guess? He hasn't made one since. I can only assume this movie was the reason.

 

Oh yeah... BRUCE WILLIS IN A BATHROBE MAKING SEXY TALK WITH A GUY. I'm not sure why he was doing it, but I think it involved killing someone so he could kill someone so he could kill someone. Or something. I lost track.

[RyanSz 3140]

Another terrible movie I love to watch. This was one of first movies I remember as a kid where Willis was the bad guy (something he rarely does even to this day), so it was odd seeing him plotting an assassination and killing the loads of innocent people that he was killing. Also this was another movie in the early career of Jack Black where he was a nameless drone who dies a horrible death, along with I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

[Lando 2019]

The original movie, Day of the Jackal is a fantastic cat-and-mouse movie where the antagonist uses his brains to accomplish his task. I would say that it is probably the most believable portrayal of an assassin in film.

 

What I remember of the remake was that Bruce Willis' character had some auto-targeting minigun to assassinate his target. The antithesis of the original.

[RyanSz 3140]

It was a remote control gun to where he could hide it in a parked car and be able to fire from another location. It was so much more work than it was worth when he could have just used a sniper rifle and accomplish his job.

[seanotron 2307]

Willis is an excellent actor, but like many excellent actors he still picks turkeys from time to time. And sadly, this was Sidney Poitier's last appearance in a movie.

[NorthShoreBen45 0]

This has been on Encore forever (years).

Whenever I'm scrolling through the movies I see the title and think 'why have I not seen this?' and for whatever reason

still to do this day never pick it.

[RyanSz 3140]

Willis is an excellent actor, but like many excellent actors he still picks turkeys from time to time. And sadly, this was Sidney Poitier's last appearance in a movie.

 

He is an excellent actor, but over the past few years if he's been in a movie not named Red or Die Hard, he's been phoning it in terribly. It reminds me of the Wild, Wild West episode with Kevin Smith where he talked about how working with Willis was a completely different experience between Live Free or Die Hard and Cop Out, and you could tell watching both of those films.

[thestray 361]

Wait, so you're saying that Willis ISN'T phoning it in in those new Die Hard movies? I watched the latest one a couple days ago and it was such a lukewarm performance by him. That movie is almost HDTGM worthy because John McClane has been reduced to this lifeless smug guy who does nothing but say one-liners with a smirk and does not feel the gravity of any situation. He just seems mildly inconvenienced the whole time.

 

And also, according to wiki and imdb, Sidney Poitier has been in a few other things after The Jackal, nothing very recently though. I doubt a movie like The Jackal could "end" the career of a respected acting legend like Poitier. He'd be working if he wanted to.

[RyanSz 3140]

Willis was definitely trying hard and performing in Live Free or Die Hard, the most recent one is hard to say as they for some reason felt the need to shoehorn his son into the movie in a similar fashion like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are points in it that seem like its the Willis of old, mainly the action scenes, but outside he just didn't seem interested. And with the recent news story that he was kicked off Expendables 3 because he wanted a million dollars a day, all signs point to him just doing roles to buy more of whatever his new hobby is, which at this point I'm assuming his hunting prostitutes with a crossbow while the Bruno CD plays in the background.

[SlidePocket 707]

I originally only saw the trailer to this film when it was attached to my VHS copy of "Liar Liar" and a few years later I finally checked it out. Man it was terrible! Not only does this version pale in comparison to the original, you also got to see Richard Gere speaking in one of the worst Irish accents put in film. That accent probably gives Julia Roberts in "Mary Reilly" and Brad Pitt in "The Devil's Own" a run for its money!

[thestray 361]

Willis was definitely trying hard and performing in Live Free or Die Hard, the most recent one is hard to say as they for some reason felt the need to shoehorn his son into the movie in a similar fashion like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are points in it that seem like its the Willis of old, mainly the action scenes, but outside he just didn't seem interested.

 

Why not explore his relationship with his son though? I think that was just as good of a move as any, it just wasn't a very interesting script. I don't think Willis was even his old self during the action scenes though, he seemed just as glib and apathetic when the shit was going down. One of the most boring action movies I've seen in a while.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

Why not explore his relationship with his son though? I think that was just as good of a move as any, it just wasn't a very interesting script. I don't think Willis was even his old self during the action scenes though, he seemed just as glib and apathetic when the shit was going down. One of the most boring action movies I've seen in a while.

I haven't seen it yet, I'm sure I'll catch it on cable or something, but from what I've heard in different reviews, John McClane actually makes things WORSE just by being there and becoming involved, like things would have played out OK if he hadn't butted in. Also, he rags on his son for being CIA or whatever, for wanting to save the day, which is something he felt obligated to do for FOUR FUCKING MOVIES. Is that right? Sounds like the character is just an asshole this time around.

[seanotron 2307]

And also, according to wiki and imdb, Sidney Poitier has been in a few other things after The Jackal, nothing very recently though. I doubt a movie like The Jackal could "end" the career of a respected acting legend like Poitier. He'd be working if he wanted to.

 

Oh, I'm not saying it ended Poitier's career. No matter how bad a movie was it couldn't do that to Sydney freakin' Poitier. I was just saying that was his final Silver Screen appearance. Those credits on IMDB are narrations on documentaries and a made-for-TV movie.

[seanotron 2307]

 

He is an excellent actor, but over the past few years if he's been in a movie not named Red or Die Hard, he's been phoning it in terribly. It reminds me of the Wild, Wild West episode with Kevin Smith where he talked about how working with Willis was a completely different experience between Live Free or Die Hard and Cop Out, and you could tell watching both of those films.

 

See, I'd have pegged those awful Die Hard sequels as examples of him just cashing a check. But he's still been doing cool stuff here and there. He was great in both Looper and Moonrise Kingdom, for example. You can tell he still cares in those projects.

 

And honestly, as much as I like Kevin Smith, I was put off by his entire attitude after Cop Out. The movie was a turd, and he should have just owned it and moved on (it's not like he wrote it, after all). His whining about the critical response and subsequent stories about Bruce Willis just came off like sour grapes.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

And honestly, as much as I like Kevin Smith, I was put off by his entire attitude after Cop Out. The movie was a turd, and he should have just owned it and moved on (it's not like he wrote it, after all). His whining about the critical response and subsequent stories about Bruce Willis just came off like sour grapes.

The thing is, people probably would have forgotten about it completely by now if he would have just stopped bitching about it. Plenty of directors like Smith that are known for smaller films have done a mainstream dud or two where no one even knows they directed them, and it hasn't affected their careers at all. Kevin Smith is now the guy that looks like an asshole to the people with money that could decide whether he gets to direct anything other than his own films ever again, and the direction in "Cop Out" wasn't that great to where he'd be worth taking that sort of risk on.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

If Kevin Smith wanted Cop Out to be funny, maybe he shouldnt have banked on the hilarious New Jersey comedy that Bruce Willis is known for and instead had Sean William Scott be in more than two scenes considering he was the funniest part of that entire fucking movie.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Also please fucking god let them do this movie. Id give anything to hear June's take on Bruce Willis's wig work.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

The sad thing is that he still only placed second in the Steven Seagal cosplay contest...

[RyanSz 3140]

The sad thing is that he still only placed second in the Steven Seagal cosplay contest...

Seagal came in third.

[qaop_space 87]

Another vote for this one, just watched. Man it's great fodder for this podcast imo

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Bump for this, theres so much to talk about.

 

Richard Gere's accent in this is so terrible it should almost be considered a hate crime. The wigs and disguises they put on Bruce Willis are an absolute joy to behold.

 

Also features an early and delightful appearance from Jack Black

[RyanSz 3140]

Bump for this, theres so much to talk about.

 

Richard Gere's accent in this is so terrible it should almost be considered a hate crime. The wigs and disguises they put on Bruce Willis are an absolute joy to behold.

 

Also features an early and delightful appearance from Jack Black

I would love for them to get Black for this episode because his early resume was either silent muscle who stood in the background or annoying guy who died in brutal fashion.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

I love seeing Jack Black in an early role, I always expect his part to be so much bigger only for him to be unceremoniously killed minutes later.