The new TV adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal  starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch is days away. It looks to be a tense and exciting game of cat and mouse that sees the classic novel brought into the 21st century. But this isn't the first time Forsyth's novel has been adapted for the screen. So I decided to take a look back at the two previous big screen adaptations - one of which I had seen before, the other I had not. I am almost ashamed to say that Fred Zinnemann’s 1973 classic is the version of this story that I hadn't seen before. Thankfully it is as taught a thriller as it was back when it hit the big screen. There's a flare and sophistication to both the titular hitman and his attempt to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle. While Edward Fox brings charisma and a sense of mystery to the character. He looks like a man who could kill you without blinking - for a fee, of course - and at the same time manages to be very unassuming. F...

Martin Bishop (Robert Redford) leads a group of specialists - including a former CIA officer (Sidney Poitier), a conspiracy theorist/electronics technician (Dan Aykroyd), a young genius (River Phoenix) and a blind phone phreak/sound expert (David Strathairn) - that test the security of banks and other secure facilities. When the NSA hires them to acquire a new advanced code-breaking device, they find themselves caught up in a major conspiracy. Their only way out is to find the person who really wants the device, and prevent them from using it. Sneakers may feel a little dated (OK very dated), but that thankfully hasn't affected it's entertainment value. This is certainly the first movie I've heard of where profanity was actually added to the script in order to achieve a higher age rating. Something that was done to prevent audiences thinking this was a movie for kids. Even today it's still a lot of fun, thanks mostly to some quirky casting. These guys all have ...