THE DAY OF THE JACKAL - SEASON ONE: Keep An Open Mind

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL - SEASON ONE (Blu-ray)

2024 / 533 min

Universal

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Carl, the Couch Potato😺

For this writer, 1973’s The Day of the Jackal ranks among the greatest thrillers ever made, one of those rare films that’s structurally perfect and leaves zero room for improvement. But I like to remain open minded, and conceptually, the basic premise of the film is certainly conducive to other interpretations without necessarily drawing unfair comparisons. I enjoyed 1998’s The Jackal, the one with Bruce Willis and Richard Gere, on its own terms. While some scenes alluded to the original, there were enough narrative and character changes that it was more of a reimagining than a remake.

But a television series? While trying once again to remain open minded, I couldn’t imagine any episodic adaptation of the original movie or Frederick Forsyth’s novel without significantly padding things out or completely rethinking the basic narrative structure. And sure enough, the ten episodes of Season One (with a second one on the way), stretch themselves pretty thin at times. However, certain aspects of the show are excellent.

In this one, the notorious assassin known as The Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) is hired by an organization to kill hotshot tech billionaire Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla) before he launches River, a powerful program that’ll render finances worldwide transparent. The series, however, opens with Jackal’s first kill, the assassination of a German politician. This gets British MI6 agent Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch) involved in hunting for the guy capable of such a seemingly impossible shot before he can do it again. 

That’s the basic overall story, the narrative shifting back and forth between The Jackal’s meticulous planning and Bianca’s relentless determination to identify and catch him. When focused on this, as well as an internal MI6 mole hunt, the show really crackles. While updating the basic premise with different characters and a more contemporarily relevant target, there are still plenty of elements and homages to the 1973 film that are pulled off quite nicely. In fact, Redmayne appears to use Edward Fox’s steely performance in the original as the foundation for his own. He succeeds quite well, exuding understated menace. There are moments when he even resembles Fox.

"I came here to feed the pigeons, and you're scaring them away."

However, a major part of what has always made The Jackal such an intriguing character (in all previous versions) was that little was ever revealed about him beyond his methods and ruthlessness. He remained a nameless enigma, which added to his mystique. But here, not only does the story give him a past (a former military sniper), this Jackal also has a wife, Nuria (Ursula Corbero), a kid and annoying in-laws, all of whom are part of a subplot where his domestic bliss is threatened when Nuria realizes he’s been leading a double life. 

This additional exposition and character development ultimately renders The Jackal more vulnerable, even fallible, and therefore less menacing. It also tends to stall the show’s momentum, as do superfluous scenes depicting how Bianca’s obsession with her job adversely affects her own family life. I understand why both main characters have been fleshed out for the sake of a series, and there are probably plenty of viewers out there who will appreciate the additional melodrama. But these elements are never as engaging as the primary story, which is compelling, increasingly complex and often surprising.

I’m still not sure I like how Season One ends, with a finale that seems more concerned with setting up a second season than satisfactorily wrapping things up. But despite some initial misgivings, The Day of the Jackal works better as a series than I initially thought it would. When staying on-point, the show’s a lot of fun, with good action sequences, some jarring violence and a solid portrayal of the title character by Redmayne. As for those who revere the original film, it helps to stay open minded.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Melon Scene Breakdown is a piece that showcases one of several homages to the original film; Becoming the Jackal is an interview with Eddie Redmayne; Becoming Bianca is an interview by Lashana Lynch.

THE RACKET: Saved By The Olives

THE RACKET (Blu-ray)

1951 / 89 min

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😽

Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan are a couple o’ film noir olives. 

There was a time when I decided to make martinis my drink of choice, probably because people in the movies looked cool drinking them. Then I actually tried one and…eh. As mixed drinks go, I suppose they do the job if you wanna cop a buzz, but I didn’t think there was anything all that special about it, save for the two plump olives marinating on a toothpick. Those were delicious, and I’m pretty sure I looked cool stirring my drink with ‘em.

If it was the olives I loved, I’d be better off sticking with a Bloody Mary, where a couple o’ fat Manzanillas make an already tasty beverage absolutely perfect. It’s the same with the two Roberts when it comes to film noir. Take 1947’s Crossfire, for example (which actually had three Roberts). Already a solid film, the presence of Mitchum, Ryan (and Young!) made it really crackle.

If Crossfire is a film noir Bloody Mary, then 1951’s The Racket is an example of a martini. It’s certainly watchable, but for the most part, it’s a standard-issue story of a big city police captain taking-on corruption and organized crime. For fans of the genre, there aren’t a hell of a lot of surprises, though John Cromwell’s meat-and-potatoes direction keeps the story moving fairly efficiently. But by throwing in a couple o’ Roberts, The Racket is suddenly a little more memorable.

"Eew...this one's mushy."

If there was such a thing as the Film Noir Hall of Fame, Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan would be among the first inducted. They bring their indomitable badassery to characters that would have been forgettable otherwise. As the incorruptible Captain McQuigg, Mitchum is enjoyably stoic and unflappable. Ryan’s even more fun as Nick Scanlon, a hot-headed gangster whose violent methods bely his organization’s efforts to discreetly influence local politics. Ryan has been a bad guy or anti-hero in enough films that he could probably do it in his sleep, but who better to turn your generic antagonist into someone truly intimidating?

This is actually based on a popular Broadway play, so maybe the overall lack of action is indicative of the story’s stage origins. The Racket is ultimately second-tier noir, and its two stars have certainly done better films before and since. But they make it more palatable, much like the olives in my martini.

EXTRA KIBBLES

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By the one & only Eddie Muller, who’s always worth listening to.

TRAILER

THE AMATEUR (2025): A Shiny Penny

THE AMATEUR (Digital) 

2025 / 123 min

From 20th Century Studios

Review by Princess Pepper😽

On Digital NOW and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD July 8.

If you must remake an older film, why not choose one that wasn’t all that great or memorable to begin with?

1981’s The Amateur certainly qualifies. I think I watched this one on cable a year or two after it came and went in theaters. While certainly watchable, it was nothing particularly remarkable. 40+ years later, I recall almost nothing about the film beyond its title and star (John Savage).

This new version is sort of a shiny new penny, with sequences and special effects typical of most modern action films. But a shiny penny is still just a penny. While 2025’s The Amateur is an enjoyable thriller featuring a solid performance by an actor who isn’t the first name that comes-to-mind for this sort of thing, this one isn’t particularly memorable either.

Rami Malek plays Charlie Heller, a nebbish CIA cryptologist who spends most days behind a desk. When his wife is murdered by terrorists while travelling abroad, he understandably wants revenge. Though Charlie’s boss, CIA director Alex Moore (Holt McCallany) assures him that they’ll find those responsible and bring them to justice, Charlie wants to kill them personally and insists they train him for that very thing.

Since Charlie has discovered Moore has the CIA involved in shady activities related to these same terrorists, he blackmails his boss into agreeing. Despite some training by Hendo Henderson (Laurence Fishburne), Charlie doesn’t have what it takes to actually shoot someone. However, targeting the terrorists with his tech skills is another matter altogether. This leads to some creative kills once Charlie begins hunting them down (easily the highlight of the movie). Meanwhile, Heller orders Hendo to find and kill Charlie.

Remi gets carded.

Though Malek gives an earnest, sympathetic and mostly believable performance, the movie’s a little poky at first. Things liven up once he discovers methods of killing that he is good at. Those scenes are creatively depicted and a lot of fun, especially one involving explosives and a glass swimming pool bridging two hotel towers. 

However, the story itself is a standard issue revenge thriller that holds few surprises. The only real difference between Charlie and any other grieving husband avenging his wife is that he doesn’t use a gun. For the most part, none of the other characters really stand-out either, including the antagonists, a majority of whom are introduced just before they’re about to die.

Ultimately, The Amateur is an enjoyable time killer with decent action sequences, but offers little we haven’t seen before. While it ain’t two hours of your life you’ll never get back, most viewers probably won’t give it another thought afterwards. Kinda like the original.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Team; The World; The Pool (making of the film’s best scene); The Score.

5 DELETED SCENES

DUNE: PROPHECY (4K): Experience Preferred, But Not Necessary

DUNE: PROPHECY - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (4K UHD)

2024 / 392 min

From Warner Bros.

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

Though set in the same universe as Denis Villeneuve’s epic two-part adaptation of Dune, this six-episode series doesn’t really require that you’ve seen it. HBO’s Dune: Prophecy is set 10,000 years before the events in those films. So while the Atreides and Harkonnen surnames are central to the story, we’ve never met these characters before. And almost none of it takes place on the titular planet. 

Still, the show sometimes operates on the assumption that audiences are familiar with at least some aspects of Frank Herbert’s universe…the importance of planet Arrakis (Dune), civilization’s dependence on spice production, the nature of the Fremen, etc. It also feels like we’re jumping into the middle of the story and being brought up to speed with opening narration by its main character, Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson). But even then, it takes a couple of episodes for the viewer to keep track of who’s who and what they’re up to (and most are up to quite a bit). 

We’re introduced to a huge cast of characters whose purpose and motives are initially ambiguous, which will intrigue some viewers and frustrate others. And unlike the action and spectacle of Villenueve’s films, Dune: Prophecy is far more driven by the political maneuverings of the various “houses” vying for power. The nutshell story arc focuses on the Sisterhood, the school of “Truthsayers” that would eventually evolve into the Bene Gesserit that longtime Dunies are probably familiar with. Headed by Valya and her sister, Tula (Olivia Williams), their ultimate goal is to insinuate their influence on House Corrino, ruled by Emperor Javicco (Mark Strong), in order to put one of their own on the throne.

"My kingdom for a recliner."

But as Harkonnens, Valya and Tula are also driven by revenge, their hatred of House Atreides being an underlying factor in some of their decisions. What ultimately makes Dune: Prophecy interesting is that even though these two are the primary protagonists, their actions and motives are morally questionable at best. In fact, most of the major characters are seen plotting, conspiring and betraying others to serve their own agendas. This political intrigue grows increasingly complex with each episode, with occasional flashbacks that reveal Valya and Tula’s past and how it impacts the Sisterhood’s direction (which doesn’t sit well with everybody). 

Though Dune: Prophecy pretty light on action - even as the season draws to its conclusion - the overall narrative is eventually pretty engaging. Playing almost like a sci-fi soap opera, the series is loaded with plot twists and revelations, some we see coming, others we don’t. Of the plethora of characters to keep track of, the most interesting is Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), an enigmatic soldier whose power and motives threatens the Sisterhood...and everybody else, for that matter.

One aspect the series does share with the films is its aesthetic. Dune: Prophecy is visually gorgeous, each world painstakingly depicted through creative production design and excellent visual effects. It also features a moody, evocative music score by Volker Bertelmann. Conversely, and because this is HBO, there’s a lot more sex in this one, with most of the younger cast bumpin’ uglies at one point or another. 

Dune: Prophecy isn’t quite bingeworthy, but after a slow, murky start, it’s a pretty entertaining prequel series. But be prepared for an overall lack of closure, with a majority of the storylines left open-ended in anticipation of Season Two.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INSIDE THE EPISODE - Summary/breakdown of each of the six episodes.

FEATURETTES - Disc 1: Entering the Dune Universe; Houses Divided. Disc 2: Truth or Lie (2 parts); Expanding the Universe.

BUILDING WORLDS (Disc 3) - Exclusive to disc, this featurette covers how each world/planet was conceived & created.

BEHIND THE VEIL (Disc 3) - Five separate featurettes covering various technical aspects of the series.

ESCAPE (2024): A Missed Opportunity

ESCAPE (Blu-ray)

2024 / 94 min

From Well Go USA

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Beastie😾

Korean defection occurs so often that there’s a Wikipedia page on the subject, as well as quite a few movies over the years. I’m sure some of those escapees have been soldiers who’ve had enough of their government’s shenanigans to make a run for the border, and the inherent peril of such a journey would make an ideal action drama.

But Escape manages to waste its sure-fire premise. It begins well enough, with North Korean soldier Lim Gyu-Nam (Lee Je-hoon) preparing to defect to the South once he’s discharged. He’s been mapping out the locations of all the landmines between his base (near the Demilitarized Zone) and the border. Another soldier, Kim Dong-hyuk (Hong Xa-bin), is desperate to defect as well, so much so that he attempts escape on his own, but Lim tries to convince him to wait. Unfortunately, both are caught and sentenced to death. 

Luckily for Lim, childhood friend Lee Hyun-sang (Koo Kyo-hwan) is a high-ranking officer who intervenes, declaring Lim a hero for catching a defector, then giving him a promotion and transfer. However, Lim still wants to defect and uses his new position to not-only save Kim, but retrieve his map of the landmines. Once they go on the run, Lee becomes obsessed with hunting-down and killing them. 

"I told you to gas it up before we left."

This sounds a lot better than it unfolds. First of all, Lim isn’t a particularly interesting character. The only meaningful exposition really offered is his desire to defect. Conversely, Lee is initially a compelling antagonist…superficially friendly and overly arrogant. It’s even suggested that, while a successful officer, he was never permitted to follow his true calling of a concert pianist. Then his disposition changes on a dime, becoming a cold-blooded, sadistic tyrant who just boarded the crazy train.

As for the action…the film takes too long to get things rolling, and when it finally does, we’re expected to swallow some glaring implausibilities and lapses in logic. Despite being armed with machine guns, Lee’s squads are worse shots than Imperial Stormtroopers, unable to hit one guy escaping on foot. And speaking of Star Wars, North Korea is suddenly the tiniest nation on Earth, with Lee repeatedly and instantaneously able to find Lim, no matter how many miles separate them at any given time (or maybe he’s mastered teleportation).

Escape is a forgettable, underwhelming film that offers little beyond the kind of generic time killers regularly served up on Netflix. Good performances help, but considering the real-world relevance of the basic concept, I expected a little more than static characters and dubious action sequences. Ultimately, this is a missed opportunity.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Making Of; Character Trailer

MOVIE TRAILER - With Commentary

CONCLAVE Makes the Mundane Memorable

CONCLAVE (4K UHD)

2024 / 120 min

From Universal

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Bonnie the Bishop😺

It was with a sense of obligation that I first watched 2022’s All Quiet on the Western Front. A German film based on an ancient novel I was force-fed in high school didn’t seem like my idea of a good time. But I always try to see as many Oscar nominated films as I can before the big night. It makes the evening more interesting.

But damn, if it didn’t turn out to be one of the best war films I’ve seen in recent years, perhaps second only to Dunkirk. Though I still think the best movie did win (Everything Everywhere All at Once), a small part of me was a tad disappointed the Academy didn’t throw everyone a curveball and pick this one.

It was with a similar sense of obligation that I sat down to review Conclave on 4K UHD. Recent flicks like Immaculate and The First Omen notwithstanding, Catholic shenanigans didn’t seem like a good time either, especially since the entire story revolves around a bunch of Cardinals gathering to elect a new pope after the old one dies.

But damn, if it didn’t turn out to be a compelling two hours, beautifully shot and unfolding like a thriller, teeming with intrigue. Ralph Fiennes gives one of his best performances as Cardinal Lawrence, reluctantly overseeing the entire conclave and managing the sequestered cardinals. It’s a long, grueling process, exacerbated by opposing philosophies, plenty of scandal and a shocking amount of backstabbing. Outside the Sistine Chapel, a few terrorist bombings occur, stoking political fires inside. In a way, the story feels a little like a microcosm of our current social climate.

Another losing Powerball ticket.

When it comes to the papal election process, I have no idea if Conclave is accurate, nor do I care. What truly matters is we feel like flies on the wall, witnessing these highly secretive events unfold. We might find even ourselves taking sides with certain candidates over others, much like the cardinals charged with such a consequential task.

In addition to its complex story and characters, Conclave boasts a loaded cast, including Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini, John Lithgow as conniving, ambitious Cardinal Tremblay, Sergio Castellitto as ultra right-winger Cardinal Tedesco and Isabella Rossellini in small but crucial role as Sister Agnes. But really, the movie belongs to Fiennes, who at least deserves a Best Actor nomination. 

The movie also belongs to Edward Berger, who directed this and All Quiet on the Western Front. These films that couldn’t be more different, yet both are narratively and visually fascinating. Maybe the guy’s got a knack for making the mundane memorable. At any rate, Berger’s another director I’m gonna start paying attention to.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Sequestered: Inside Conclave is a pretty good making-of doc featuring interviews with director Edward Berger and the primary cast.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Edward Berger.

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

REAGAN Preaches To The Converted

REAGAN (Blu-ray)

2024 / 135 min

FROM LIONSGATE

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

Reagan practically depicts its subject like he’s a messiah, where everything he touches turns to FREEDOM. Basically a love letter to the 40th president and those who continue to deify him, the movie is a pandering hybrid of propaganda and gushing adulation. If nothing else, the movie knows its audience.

For 135 minutes, Reagan (Dennis Quaid) can do no wrong, particularly when dealing with those pesky Russians. Even as president of the Screen Actors Guild, his testimony for the FBI, fingering peers as communists, is considered a heroic act. Anti-communism continues to be an ongoing theme throughout the film, driving Reagan’s presidency. He’s shown singlehandedly saving the free world from Russia’s insidious plans of world domination and rescuing the U.S. economy by virtue of his iron will. 

Conversely, the more questionable aspects of Reagan’s presidency are simply summed up with a brief music montage consisting of stock footage and newspaper headlines. The lone exception is the Iran-Contra scandal. But even then, his address to the nation - clarifying his involvement - is depicted as yet-another triumph. Throughout the entire film, the conflicts and complexities of his presidency are presented in simplistic us-versus-them terms. And at no point is Reagan himself portrayed as anything less than a republication Superman...stoic, noble and righteous.

"My fellow Americans...in the interest of transparency, I hereby announce I'm not wearing pants."

But Reagan’s blatant nationalism and one-sided history aren’t the real problem. Politics aside, this is a shockingly bad movie and a poor excuse for a biography. Its subject is never explored in any depth and we learn little beyond his ambition and patriotism. Hell, even legendary liberal Oliver Stone instilled Nixon & George W with some complexity. You’d think any movie idolizing Ronald Reagan would try to do the same. As for Quaid… I suppose if you squint real hard he sorta resembles Reagan, but his performance comes across like a comedian’s impersonation. 

The supporting characters are even more broadly drawn, essentially one-note caricatures (some played by a who’s-who of notable right-wingers, including Jon Voight, Pat Boone, Kevin Sorbo, Robert Davi, not to mention Quaid himself). Still, I have to grudgingly admit Voight is actually quite good in his role as former Soviet spy Viktor Petrovich, who also narrates the film.

Elsewhere, Reagan looks cheap and small, with terrible make-up work and some clumsy CGI in an attempt to make everything seem more epic. John Cada’s score is filled with overbearing emotive crescendos every time Reagan says or does something inspiring. And speaking of inspiring, the film frequently evokes the tone and aesthetic of the recent spate of Christian films that have made waves among the church crowd. Like many of those movies, Reagan may be filled with good intentions, but its message and themes are handled with the subtlety of a mallet.

But the biggest crime? At no point is Reagan emotionally engaging. It’s just an interminable checklist of events with a ton of exposition provided by characters who are difficult invest in. Even Reagan’s detractors bent on rage-watching the film will likely end-up more bored than incensed. As for its intended audience, Reagan will confirm their unconditional admiration for the man, but I suspect even some of them might feel he deserved better than this.