He made his name — and won an Oscar — by playing good guys. Professor Stephen Hawking, a dedicated Victorian scientist in The Aeronauts and a political activist in The Trial Of The Chicago 7 all made Eddie Redmayne the go-to guy for playing up-standing characters. The enigmatic title role in The Day Of The Jackal seems to have changed all that, but he actually ventured over to the darker side in a crime thriller from 2022 tucked away on Netflix which you can enjoy right now.
Yes two years before he became The Jackal, Redmayne played another calculating killer in a lesser-known but nonetheless powerful film. His most frightening performance to date, in 2022’s The Good Nurse, is only available on Netflix. Starring alongside Jessica Chastain in a true-life crime drama, he's a reliable and compassionate nurse who befriends a new colleague (Chastain).
But when patients in their care start dying too frequently, an investigation points towards him and she finds herself drawn into helping the FBI. Under pressure during questioning, Redmayne explodes at his interrogator, a response that comes out of nowhere and is easily the most terrifying thing the actor’s ever done on screen. In a thriller with a strong moral dilemma at its centre and classy performances, that scene is the number one reason for watching the entire film. For Redmayne fans, it’s a taste of things to come.
Although last year's first season of The Day Of The Jackal felt very much like a miniseries, the show was always intended to be on a bigger scale, so enthusiastic receptions from critics and audiences alike meant it was no surprise when a second outing was confirmed. In fact, the announcement was made well before the season finale.
An updated version of Fred Zinnemann’s 1973 classic, based on Frederick Forsyth’s best-seller of the same name, the ten-parter brought the assassin for hire into the present day, allowing him to take full advantage of all the tec at his disposal. And, while the original confined him to France in pursuit of General DeGaulle, this new version moved him around the world but still on the trail of one single, and very lucrative, target. Reviving such a highly-regarded thriller after 50 years initially raised eyebrows, but frequent references to the 1970s film meant its heritage was ever-present, reassuring all those who were skeptical about a new version in a contemporary setting.
Described by legendary critic Roger Ebert as "a beautifully executed example of filmmaking", the original film's masterstroke was the casting of a then-unknown Edward Fox as the assassin. Audiences had no expectations of an unfamiliar face, making his fake identities all the more convincing but, despite enjoying a higher profile when he took on the role, Redmayne proved to be more than up to the job.
His impassive features and detachment on screen were the perfect combination for the mysterious, ice-cold killer who was a master of disguise.
He's already confirmed he'll be back for Day of the Jackal season 2 and, although there's little in the way of details about the new storyline, executive producers Gareth Neame and Nigel Merchant have already teased that "there's some serious unfinished business" from season one, which points towards something to do with his family.
The Good Nurse is on Netflix in the US and UK. The Day Of The Jackal is on Peacock in the US and on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
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