The Two Jakes (1990)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Jack Nicholson

Writers (WGA):

Robert Towne (characters)
Robert Towne (written by)

Release Date:

10 August 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

They say money makes the world go round. But sex was invented before money.

Plot:

The sequel to Chinatown (1974) finds Jake Gittes investigating adultery and murder... and the money that comes from oil.

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | Murder | Orange Grove | Widow | Sequel

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	J.J. 'Jake' Gittes
Harvey Keitel	...	Julius 'Jake' Berman
Meg Tilly	...	Kitty Berman
Madeleine Stowe	...	Lillian Bodine
Eli Wallach	...	Cotton Weinberger
Rubén Blades	...	Michael 'Mickey Nice' Weisskopf
Frederic Forrest	...	Chuck Newty
David Keith	...	Det. Lt. Loach
Richard Farnsworth	...	Earl Rawley
Tracey Walter	...	Tyrone Otley
Joe Mantell	...	Lawrence Walsh
James Hong	...	Kahn
Perry Lopez	...	Captain Lou Escobar
Jeff Morris	...	Ralph Tilton
Rebecca Broussard	...	Gladys

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

88 Productions

Trivia:

18 months elapsed between the film's US release and its first (minimal) appearance in UK cinemas.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The stamp on the letter wasn't issued until 1949.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Jake Gittes: Katherine?
[she turns to look at him]
Jake Gittes: It never goes away.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Ain't Too Proud to Egg/The Two Jakes (#2.7)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Haunted Heart

Don't compare it to Chinatown

If you compare this film to its predecessor then you will disappointed. However, if you examine it as a character study of Jake Gittes and what has become of him, then you have something to go for here. Mr. Nicholson does a good job of showing that he does not always need to play extravagantly drawn characters to connect emotionally with his audience. As for the script, I would have preferred not to hear the voice over narration, which is clearly derivative of Raymond Chandler, because the film noir cliches are wearing thin. Chandler's influence can also he seen in the fact that his pseudonym for Santa Monica, Bay City, plays a prominent role in the plot. As for the plot, it is not convoluted, just thickened with much local color and character of Los Angeles in 1948. Since twelve years has passed since this film was made, I would like to see what has become of Jake Gittes, say, twenty years later. A visit to the Los Angeles of 1968, which is clearly pre-figured in this film by the discussion of urban growth, would be a great forum for Mr. Nicholson to re-inscribe Jake Gittes in a faster and glitzier L.A., which he helped make but does not like. I realize that the people involved in the making of this film may have no stomach for such a project, but fans of Mr. Nicholson and Mr. Towne's work can always hope.