3 out of 5

Director: Michael Caton-Jones

They used “triumvirate of stars” to describe this movie. That’s wicked ampersand, son. Anyhow, the Jackal sits comfortably at slightly above average level (like 3.25 stars… even though 3/5 is already more than 50%. But 3 stars seems like average, right? So I guess we’re just defining “average” as “what most movies would rate.” that makes sense anyway. Why did you make me work math into it?)(…For the record, though, average would probably be more like 2.65 stars, in my experience. Thanks, Michael Bay.)… …at slightly above average for Bruce Willis’ 90s output, anyway, as defined by the tops (Last Man Standing) and the bottoms (Color of Night. Anyone who says Hudson Hawk or North is dead to me.). It’s nice to see Mr. Willis stretch his acting with the short roles the Jackal takes on (though this would have been more interesting if played up throughout the movie) and in a bad role in general. What hampers it is some sloppy scripting in terms of the technical aspects of things and over-acting / dramaticizing of some key scenes. Mainly: while they try to write off Jackal’s eventual downfall as one of those kinds of mistakes that all pros eventually make, it’s actually a few mistakes, and they all seem pretty stupid. As in: wouldn’t have happened. Let me lower the window on the van to point my remote-controlled gun out of it, allowing everyone to see the gun. Because golly this thing won’t shoot through windows. BUT: oppositely, there are brief moments and touches that are smart and worth the watch. Entertaining, if trite when examined.