Our Flick of the Week is “The Jackal,” a needless, pointless remake of a superb thriller, Fred Zinnemann’s 1973 handbook on a world-class murderer for hire, “The Day of the Jackal.” That film was so good that, even though we knew the assassin couldn’t rewrite history by killing French President Charles De Gaulle, we were enthralled by the plot nonetheless. And so, for the umpteenth time, allow me to make this point: Hollywood should remake mediocre movies, not good ones. And so much for “The Jackal” being needless.
As for pointless, I don’t see anything distinctive about this film, save for its killer’s customized weapon of choice, a monster modified machine gun that can blow holes in targets almost as big as the ones in the screenplay. The story has assistant FBI director Sidney Poitier using IRA operative Richard Gere to psych out, and help take out, acclaimed international killer Bruce Willis, who has been hired by the Mafia to eliminate a major American public figure.
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That’s a big-name cast, with actors who previously have displayed a strong social conscience in their roles. Not this time; it’s anything for a buck. “The Jackal” is tawdry material when you find out the identity of the target. Rated R. (star)
– FAST, CHEAP & OUT OF CONTROL. Errol Morris’ weird investigation of men obsessed with controlling animals — everything from a fixated legendary lion-tamer to an in-home model of an exotic mammal’s habitat. If there is a point to the material, it may be as simple as this: Man doesn’t realize just how silly he can be in trying to find order in life. PG. (star) (star) (star) 1/2
– THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE. A very bad Bill Murray comedy with a dubious premise that is poorly developed. Murray plays an American video store clerk who visits his brother in England and winds up being mistaken for a hit man after he stumbles into a participatory theater experience. Gimme a break. Go see “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” and make a fool of yourself there; you’ll be funnier than Murray in this mess. PG. (star)
– ONE NIGHT STAND. A big disappointment from “Leaving Las Vegas” director Mike Figgis, telling the story of a case of infidelity between a married man (Wesley Snipes) and a married woman (Nastassja Kinski). Whereas “Leaving Las Vegas” had specific and universal truths about addiction, dependency and love, this picture is utterly ordinary. R. (star) (star)
– THE WINGS OF THE DOVE. Helena Bonham Carter, whose face and manner seem from another era, is superb as the turn-of-the-century Henry James character who allows the pursuit of money to get in the way of her pursuit of love. Of course, we have seen this story before, but it is difficult to turn away from any scene where the actress is center stage. R. (star) (star) (star)
– = New this week