The Jackal is an elusive assassin who makes his living by carrying out high-paying attacks. He soon meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer who finds him on a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. Check our list of renewals and cancellations to see if your favorite series has made it to the top. Forsyth worked as a freelance journalist covering the Biafran war. When it ended, he returned to Britain, unemployed and unsure of what to do next. He said: ‘I came back at Christmas ’69, completely broke. No chance of a job, no flat, no car and no savings. Then I had this crazy, crazy idea to write a novel. ‘Everyone said you must be joking or angry because the odds of it even getting published are hundreds to one, even thousands.’ A few weeks after its release, the film rights were snapped up. Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars vied to play the Jackal in the 1973 film, but the role went to a then-unknown Edward Fox because director Fred Zinnemann thought he could blend in with the crowd. (airmail). Reference in The Graham Norton Show: Denzel Washington/Paul Mescal/Saoirse Ronan/Eddie Redmayne/Blossoms (2024). Eddie Redmayne delivers a mesmerizing performance, embodying the titular killer with a chilling precision that makes him both terrifying and magnetic. Redmayne’s meticulous approach to the role heightens the tension, making his every move seem calculated and inevitable. His ability to mix charm with menace ensures that the audience is both repulsed and fascinated, capturing the essence of the character’s duality. Unfortunately, Lashana Lynch’s performance pales in comparison, coming across as wooden and uninspired. Her portrayal of the determined intelligence operative lacked depth, often coming across as one-dimensional and overly reliant on clichés. In a series rich in nuance and detail, her character’s lack of complexity stands out in a negative way. Overall, the film is a captivating adaptation, but it struggles at times with uneven performances. Redmayne’s brilliance alone makes it worth watching, but Lynch’s shortcomings detract a bit from the experience.