The Day of the Jackal (1973)
Like many of its contemporaries,
The Day of the Jackal looks gorgeous. The colors, shooting on real locations, picture composition, and practically everything just pleases my eye more than almost anything done today. It feels so natural compared to many modern films that have an artificial and staged feel to them.
Storywise,
The Day of the Jackal isn't bad either. I like its pacing and how it gives enough time to build both sides of the story. The Jackal himself comes out as a sociopath (which, to be honest, is probably a beneficial trait in his line of business) and calculating professional. Lebel, on the other hand, is more humane with his family and visible stress. As a whole, it's a well-written cat and mouse game that doesn't rely on outlandish twists.
I personally like how
The Day of the Jackal uses politics only as a catalyst without taking too much of a moral stance. It gives rudimentary reasoning why OAS wants de Gaulle dead while the authorities are just doing their jobs. There's no artificial division to good and evil, but two competing ideas of France. This adds to the film's natural looks, and together they give the film a sense of realism.
Police procedurals and agents aren't my favorite subject, but
The Day of the Jackal is in the upper echelon of its kind. A solid movie.