TV show · 2024 · Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery · English
Curator score: 6.1/10 (130.9K ratings)
The hunter. Hunted.
Overview
An unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.1/10
IMDb: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 72
TMDB: 8.2/10
Production
Carnival Films, Sky Studios
Cast
Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch, Eleanor Matsuura, Chukwudi Iwuji, Úrsula Corberó, Adoney Díaz Barajas, David Gojković
Curator Review
Verdict
A sleek, globe-trotting thriller with strong lead performances and real momentum. It updates the classic premise into a contemporary espionage chase that’s easy to binge, even if it occasionally leans more on style and setup than on deep procedural complexity.
Best for
Viewers who like cat-and-mouse spy thrillers
Fans of polished international action drama
People who enjoyed tense manhunt stories with a charismatic antihero
Binge-watchers looking for a high-production-value series
Skip if
You want a fully self-contained limited series with no sequel setup
You prefer grounded, low-concept espionage over glossy action
You need every episode to feel equally sharp and tightly paced
Overview
The Day of the Jackal is a very watchable modern thriller: sleek, expensive-looking, and built around the pleasure of watching two smart operators close in on each other. Eddie Redmayne gives the assassin an icy precision that keeps the character compelling even when the plotting goes broad, while Lashana Lynch brings urgency and intelligence to the pursuit. The result is a series that understands the basic appeal of a manhunt and delivers it with confidence.
Worth noting
It works best as a binge, where the momentum and shifting locations help carry you through the occasional stretches of procedural repetition. The show is less interested in realism than in propulsion, which is part of its charm, but it can also make some turns feel engineered rather than inevitable. Still, the production values are high, the premise is inherently strong, and the central duel has enough tension to sustain the ride.
Bottom line
If you like prestige-adjacent spy drama with action, glamour, and a strong sense of forward motion, this is an easy recommendation. It’s not quite in the top tier of modern espionage TV, but it’s polished, entertaining, and clearly built to keep you coming back for the next move.
2018 · Curator 8.3/10 (154.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, BritBox, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix Standard with Ads, Tubi TV
A stylish, addictive cat-and-mouse thriller with sharp performances, international settings, and the same push-pull tension between hunter and hunted.