The Jackal (1997) ending explained: Did the Jackal kill his target?

The Day of the Jackal has hit Peacock but what happened in the 1997 remake of the 1973 film?

Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for 1997’s The Jackal. 

Published in 1971, The Day of the Jackal by Federick Forsyth was an instant bestseller. The title refers to a mysterious assassin hired by French militants to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. The book follows the Jackal as he prepares for the job while a French detective races to stop him. The book was a huge success and inspired a 1973 movie.

In 1997, the film was given a big-budget remake directed by Michael Caton-Jones. It’s notable for Bruce Willis starring in the rare role of a villain and was a box-office success. 

The movie opens with a joint operation between the FBI and Russia’s MVD ending in the death of a low-level mobster. His brother happens to be the head of the Russian mafia and naturally wants revenge. He hires a killer (Willis) to take out a target, with the man agreeing to $70 million as he’ll have to vanish afterward.

The FBI gets wind of the plot with Russian Police Major Valentina Koslova (Diane Venora) believing it’s a mysterious killer known only as the Jackal. FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston (Sidney Poitier) helps her as they believe the target is the FBI Director. 

One of the few people who know the Jackal by sight is Isabella Celia Zancona (Mathilda May), and the only person who knows where she’s hiding is imprisoned IRA soldier Declan Joseph Mulqueen (Richard Gere). He’s also met the Jackal and agrees to help the FBI in exchange for a pardon. 

As the Jackal builds up his plan, Declan leads the FBI to Isabella (who he’s in love with) and a brief encounter with the Jackal. The Jackal is preparing for his job by buying a high-powered rifle cannon and killing its creator (Jack Black) when he foolishly tries to blackmail the guy. 

Thanks to a mole and a bungling FBI agent, the Jackal attacks the safehouse where Isabella is hiding and kills Koslova. 

Is The Jackal stopped?

Koslova’s dying words, combined with the Jackal’s moves, leads Declan to realize the FBI is protecting the wrong target. The mobster wanted to really hurt the U.S. and make a bold statement. Thus, the real target is the First Lady. 

Disguised as a cop, the Jackal prepares to kill the First Lady at a public event. Just as he’s aiming his cannon, Declan uses his sniper experience to destroy the gun before it hits the target, with Preston wounded, saving the First Lady.

Declan chases the Jackal into the railway tunnels for a tense hunt that ends with Isabella shooting the Jackal in the back. The Jackal tries to shoot them with Declan gunning him down.

The Jackal is buried in an unmarked grave, and Preston relates that he’ll be heading to Russia to take down that mob. Declan’s pardon was denied, and he’ll be heading to a minimum-security prison. However, Preston notes that saving the First Lady gives Declan plenty of clout, so much that if he were to “escape,” the FBI wouldn’t bother hunting him down. Preston then makes a big show of getting a cup of coffee, giving Declan a chance to head off for a new life. 

So, The Jackal may not be as faithful to the novel, but it is still a fun thriller to add to the legacy of the property.

The Jackal (1997) is streaming on Tubi. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for more spy movie coverage and follow us on X!