"The Hunt"
The Day of the Jackal reimagines Frederick Forsyth's classic thriller novel as a modern cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, an elite assassin who operates with surgical precision—multiple identities, custom weapons, flawless execution. He's hired to kill a tech billionaire whose new surveillance tool could revolutionize global security. Lashana Lynch plays Bianca, the MI6 agent hunting him across borders, borders that mean nothing to either of them.
The show's pleasure is watching two professionals work. The Jackal plans assassinations like he's conducting surgery—every exit memorized, every contingency prepared, every identity disposable. Bianca tracks him through forensic accounting, intercepted communications, and the psychological profile of a man who doesn't officially exist. They're both brilliant. They're both damaged. Their collision is inevitable.
Eddie Redmayne transforms physically for each identity—the Jackal is less a person than a collection of masks. He speaks multiple languages, moves through the world without being seen, and maintains separate lives that occasionally bleed into each other. His wife and son know him as a businessman. They don't know what he does when he's "traveling for work."
The tension is relentless. Every episode tightens the net. The Jackal makes mistakes; Bianca makes mistakes. Both suffer personal costs that escalate as the hunt intensifies. The finale is a confrontation across multiple locations with consequences that change everyone involved.
This is prestige thriller work—smart, expensive, adult. The production values are cinematic. The European locations are gorgeous. And Eddie Redmayne proves he can be genuinely menacing, not just sympathetic.
Characters & Acting (9): Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch are perfectly matched antagonists. Both make their characters feel real.
Narrative Drive (9): Every episode advances the hunt. No filler. The tension never releases until the end.
Cinematography (8): European locations shot like a feature film. Each identity transformation isvisually distinct.
"Episode 1" — The first kill. The contract. The Jackal introduced. Bianca's assignment.
"Episode 5" — The midpoint. Both hunter and hunted make critical mistakes.
"Episode 10" — The finale. Confrontation. Consequences. The shot.
US: Peacock
UK: Sky Go, NOW