Notice! This article contains spoilers for the first season of The Day of the Jackal.
The Day of the Jackal (2024)
follows a highly skilled assassin who racks up a huge death toll in just 10 episodes, but he's not the only killer seen on screen. The series is an updated and contemporary adaptation of an earlier 1973 film, which in turn was based on a novel from a few years earlier by Frederick Forsyth. The series stars Eddie Redmayne as the titular Jackal, and Lashana Lynch as the determined MI6 agent Bianca Pullman, who is in pursuit.
While Jackal is clearly intended to be a villain, with his role as a killer being a clear sign of his morals, the series explores the complexity of everyone's motivations. From the first episode, there are countless deaths. These range from targets to bystanders and even people who get in MI6's way.
24
Rufus, the German janitor
In the opening scene of the series, the Jackal listens to a recording of a voice as he learns to imitate it. Moments later, it is revealed that the voice and face belong to the first victim seen on the show, Rufus. This elderly man is a janitor who works for the company that owns the Jackal's next target. Although his death is not seen on screen, the charging cable seen around his neck makes it clear that he is indeed a victim of the Jackal's ruthless operation.
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People who work in the Fest offices
Disguised as Rufus, the Jackal infiltrates Fest's offices and manages to reach the same floor as Elias Fest, Manfred's son. The Jackal eventually drops his disguise when he pulls out a gun, shooting the security guard on that floor and several others inside the offices. Afterwards, he chases Elias to a staircase where he shoots a bullet near his head after shooting him in the leg, before escaping. At least three people died in this scene.
22
Manfred Festival
It appears that the Jackal's shooting of Elias was simply to lure his father, Manfred, into a public setting. Despite being surrounded by many guards, Jackal positions a sniper more than three kilometers away from his target and, with tremendous skill, fires the weapon, predicting where Manfred's footsteps will place him the moment the bullet travels that distance. three kilometers. This is the pivotal death that triggers all the other events of the show, as MI6 begins searching for a sniper whose skill would make them capable of such a shot.
21
Emma Stoke
In an effort to track down the Jackal, Bianca Pullman turns to contacts in Northern Ireland who are linked to a known special weapons manufacturer who could have manufactured the weapon the Jackal used to carry out Manfred's murder. When Alison Stoke is unreceptive, Bianca captures and imprisons her daughter, Emma, in an effort to get her to cooperate. Unfortunately, Emma suffers from a health problem and, whilst in prison, dies suddenly. Despite this, Bianca hides this information from her parents until she gets more information.
20
MI6 agents arriving at Norman's home in Hungary
After Bianca obtains vital information about Norman Stoke's whereabouts, she and several other agents go to the scene to capture and interrogate Norman. Norman is prepared, however, and sets traps to kill several agents. Bianca survives, but at least three other agents are killed in the conflict.
19
Alison Stoke
Once Alison and Larry Stoke learn of their daughter's tragic death, they travel to the UK to recover her body. However, Larry discovers that his wife has been informing MI6 behind his back about his brother, Norman, the special weapons manufacturer. Larry lashes out and, in a brutal and emotional moment, beats his wife to death.
18
Elias Fest and his security team
While Bianca is chasing a loose trail of breadcrumbs to find the Jackal, the Jackal is trying to collect the debt for Manfred Fest's murder. Despite the completion of the work, the client did not pay the total due. Jackal does some research and discovers that the client was actually Manfred's son, Elias. He then captures Elias, kills some of his security guards, and shoots Elias for not paying his debts.
17
French delivery driver and police officer
After killing Elias, Chacal needs to escape, but in a moment of distraction, he bumps into a delivery truck on a road in France. The truck driver gets out and calls a police car to help resolve the dispute. While Chacal tries to remain calm and defuse the tense situation, the police officer chooses to inspect the contents of a bag containing a gun, large wads of money and passports. The Jackal then shoots the police officer and throws a gun into the driver's hands to incriminate him. He then shoots the driver dead and leaves the two men as if there had been a violent but brief shootout between the two.
16
Norman Stoke
Norman Stoke was hired by the Jackal to create another custom weapon, but after being injured in the attack by MI6 agents, he needs help building the weapon. Jackal travels to Hungary to meet with Norman and they work together to create a new piece. However, MI6 appears at Norman's workshop and captures Norman. Jackal was outside the workshop and, upon seeing the agents arriving, shot Norman in the head to preserve his identity. A brief but intense shootout between the Jackal and MI6 agents ensues, and the Jackal escapes alive.
15
Attila and Gabor
After escaping from Agent Pullman and other MI6 agents, Jackal hides in a barn where he falls asleep. When he wakes up, a strange man stands above him with a shotgun. This is Átila, a farmer, and upon learning that Chacal has money and a gun, he chooses to stop him and ask his brother for help. However, Attila provokes and pushes the Jackal, which causes him to attack and kill the man. When his brother Gabor arrives, he kills him too and escapes with another young man who he prepares to kill. However, when the Jackal discovers that this man has a wife and a young son, just like him, he lets him live.
14
Would be a killer at the UDC event
The Jackal is hired to kill a radical billionaire technology mogul named Ulle Dag Charles. Despite meticulously preparing to land the hit, another man steps forward moments before Jackal pulls the trigger and attempts to kill UDC. This man was part of the UDC's own security and, when he goes on stage, he is quickly shot and killed to defend the UDC from any danger.
13
Rasmus
As he prepares to perform in Tallinn, Estonia, where the UDC event is taking place, Jackal connects with a young man named Rasmus to get an insider's view of the venue. Despite having told Rasmus he was leaving days before, Rasmus sees him walking away from the place and calls him the name he knew him by, Peter. This could compromise the Jackal's identity, and so he kills Rasmus to avoid loose ends.
12
Taliban leader
The Day of the Jackal then goes back in time to when the Jackal was a British Army sniper. He was assigned to a unit to take down key Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, and he did so with incredible skill and precision. One of the first targets he takes down is then revealed to be a Taliban leader who is entering a secure compound, but the Jackal manages to eliminate the target with ease.
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Jackal's first autonomous assassin target
This activity in Afghanistan causes great excitement among the locals, especially when Jackal's unit passes by a bar in the area. He is approached by a mysterious man who offers tens of thousands of pounds to hire him for a private job. The Jackal accepts the offer, chooses a target and then keeps the man's letter, presumably to acquire more work later.
10
Larry Stoke
After Larry Stoke loses his daughter, his wife, and his brother in a short space of time, he is filled with anger and contempt for Bianca. While he is being held in prison, Bianca meets with him to try to get more details about her late brother, but Larry pulls out a knife and stabs himself to death in front of her.
9
Everyone present at the wedding that Jackal's troops invaded
Again in Afghanistan, while Jackal serves with his unit, they search for a target they believe is present at a wedding party. The unit aggressively approaches the wedding guests, demanding to see the target, and when the situation becomes too tense, they begin shooting at the men, women and children there. To cover up their mistake, they call in a bomb attack to destroy the building and any evidence that they shot the many civilians there first. Jackal was not involved in this incident, as he was positioned much further back and did not shoot anyone in the party.
8
The rest of Jackal's military troop
Evidently, the Jackal felt the incident was a turning point as he saw the cover-ups and dishonesty of the people he worked for and with. As a result, he decided to blow up the rest of his unit, plus his closest friend, and fake his own death. From that point on, he appears to have taken on the role of hit man, still killing people, but choosing his targets and getting bigger payouts.
7
Jimmy Tejero
Near the end of Season 1, Jackal's brother-in-law, Álvaro, becomes involved in a shady deal with a Cuban mafia boss. Álvaro arranges a meeting between them at a public restaurant in Cádiz, Spain, and promises that the Jackal will be there. However, the Jackal kills the mob boss to keep his family safe and out of trouble.
6
Bogdan
After the failed attempt to kill UDC in Estonia, the Jackal travels to Croatia to kill him in his private residence on the island. To do this, the Jackal needs to rent a boat and position himself at an appropriate distance from the island so as not to appear as a threat, but close enough to strike. He rents a fisherman's boat to sail nearby. But of course, to kill the UDC, he needs privacy, so he kills the fisherman as soon as they get into position.
5
Ulle Dag Charles and his guard
He then sets up his equipment, uses an EMT to shoot down overhead drones, and takes aim. The UDC is only visible to shoot while swimming around the island, and the Jackal takes aim. His first shot hits a private guard swimming with UDC, who keeps him safe by pushing him underwater and out of sight. Then, seconds later, Jackal fires his second shot, hitting UDC cleanly and leaving him dead in the water.