The Two Jakes
In this sequel to Chinatown, "If you follow the money, you will get to the truth."
Jack Nicholson returns as private eye Jake Gittes in the atmospheric Chinatown follow-up that's hit upon "the elusive sequel formula for somehow enhancing a great original" - (Mike Clark, USA Today).
Much has changed since we last saw Jake. The war has come and gone; 1948 Los Angeles teems with optimism and fast bucks. But there's one thing, Jake knows hasn't changed: "Nine times out of ten, if you follow the money you will get to the truth." And that's the trail he follows when a routine case of marital hanky-panky explodes into a murder that's tied to a grab for oil - and to Jake's own past.
Member Reviews
Fair follow-up to Chinatown but in the end, not as good - Coconut_Willy
Fifteen years is a long time to wait for a sequel but not necessarily unusual. This time, Jack Nicholson takes the additional duty of directing the movie with a little less success. The storyline ends up being a rather simple one even though the on-going development tries to make it a lot more intricate. In the end, you realize that there were a lot of secondary characters that were there just to confuse the issue. Maybe Nicholson had a lot of friends that he wanted to participate in this adventure. The cast is nothing short of spectacular doing a fine acting job (in particular Nicholson himself and Harvey Keitel) with a good dialogue. It even adds a certain amount of humor at appropriate moments to lighten the whole thing up. The sets and locations are again very good, the soundtrack is appropriate as well as the camera work. This one is way too long for sure and numerous scenes could have been cut with no impact on the final product. Interesting if you like the genre but not as good as Chinatown.Two Jakes - humpty
A pretty good film. I liked it better than the pre-quel "chinatown" though my partner liked it less. Not necessary to have seen chinatown, though it does help. I already had the plot figured out so it is a bit predictable. The ending was a bit disappointing, I think it could have had a better turnoutJack is Jake - johnn_b
"The Two Jakes" is a fine bit of film noir, and a sequel to "Chinatown." It helps to have seen "Chinatown," but it's not mandatory. The movie has enough backstory worked in for most viewers to get the sense of the importance of the relationships and past events. Nicholson gets to direct, here, and he shows a deft touch. A great cast, gorgeous cinematography, and a story line that keeps you guessing (up to a point)all keep things moving along pleasantly. This is not the greatest film noir movie ever made, but it is entertaining and effective. Nicholson shows that he understands film noir very well; he grasps the heart of it, not just the form. A bit studied at times, and a bit overworked where the material that refers back to "Chinatown" is concerned, this is still a solid effort. If you like to watch Nicholson work, then this is a must-see for you.
Member Reviews
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Fair follow-up to Chinatown but in the end, not as good - Coconut_Willy
Fifteen years is a long time to wait for a sequel but not necessarily unusual. This time, Jack Nicholson takes the additional duty of directing the movie with a little less success. The storyline ends up being a rather simple one even though the on-going development ...Two Jakes - humpty
A pretty good film. I liked it better than the pre-quel "chinatown" though my partner liked it less. Not necessary to have seen chinatown, though it does help. I already had the plot figured out so it is a bit predictable. The ending was a bit disappointing, ...Jack is Jake - johnn_b
"The Two Jakes" is a fine bit of film noir, and a sequel to "Chinatown." It helps to have seen "Chinatown," but it's not mandatory. The movie has enough backstory worked in for most viewers to get the sense of the importance of the relationships and past events. ...