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Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Eli Wallach ... see more see more... , Frederic Forrest , Ruben Blades , David Keith , Richard Farnsworth , Tracey Walter , Joe Mantell , James Hong , Jeff Morris , Rebecca Broussard , Paul A. DiCocco Jr. , Allan Warnick , Susan Forristal , Will Tynan , Van Dyke Parks , William Duffy , Sue Carlton , Jessica Z. Diamond , Faye Dunaway , Bob George , Randi Ingerman , Perry Lopez , John Herman Shaner , Michael Shaner , Rosie Vela , Lee Weaver , Luana Anders , Dean Hill , Tom Waits , Don Charles McGovern , Jonathan Hackett

The Two Jakes is the much-delayed and rather convoluted sequel to the 1975 classic Chinatown. Released in 1990 after an abortive stab at shooting that began in the mid-'80s, the film was the subject o... read more read more...f a creative feud between its principals, star Jack Nicholson, producer Robert Evans, and screenwriter Robert Towne. Private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a middle-aged war hero, paunchy, snobbish about his golf game, and about to marry a lovely and much younger woman. Then a fleeting reference to a woman he once loved that he heard on a wire recording plunges him into a past he has tried to escape. It comes while he was spying on a philandering wife (Meg Tilly) and her paramour in her motel room for her husband, Jake Berman (Harvey Keitel). Then Berman shocks Gittes when he shoots his wife's lover. Gittes is doubly stunned when he learns that Berman was partners with the dead man in a subdivision that may contain huge oil deposits. So now Gittes wonders, was it justifiable homicide or murder? The answer lies in the wife (Madeleine Stowe) of the dead man, her shady oil baron friend (Richard Farnsworth), and in the past he has tried to avoid. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., Rovi

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37% liked it

5,711 ratings

Critics

65% liked it

17 critics

R, 2 hr. 17 min.

Directed by: Jack Nicholson

Release Date: January 1, 1990

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DVD Release Date: November 23, 1999

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Stats: 199 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (199)

  • ythelastman89
    March 16, 2010
    ythelastman89
    For an unnecessary sequel, The Two Jakes is pretty amazing. It really kept the style of the first film and really built on the characters in the first. You could clearly see how much Jack Nicholson cared about the film and his devotion to Polanskiâ??s filming style. However, this... read more is very much a late 40s approach to Film Noir. You have the start of the baby booming age and the rise of suburbia. Itâ??s a very interesting look at the dying genre and is in no way a cheap knock off of the original. Even the lighting and film quality looks the same, which is probably my favorite aspect of the film making from Chinatown.
    Jack Nicholson really makes a great return as Jake Gittes. He is even more apathetic and cynical than before. You can see the 10 years between films both physically and mentally. Heâ??s still one of the best screen characters of American Cinema and you canâ??t help but fall in love with him all over again. I liked how he still was being haunted by Mulray and never quite got over the events that happened in Chinatown.
    The plot was actually just as clever as the first film and certainly holds itâ??s own. It doesnâ??t exactly play like a sequel because there was completely new case with different good guys and bad guys. A lot of scenes run similar to the original, but theyâ??re mostly small little homages that occur pretty flawlessly. You can tell this was a nostalgia project, but itâ??s one of the best. It reminds me a lot of The Color Of Money, in no way does it compete with the original, but it is incredibly fun none the less.
  • pier007
    June 5, 2008
    pier007
    Jack Nicholson revives the Jake Gittes myth in this minor but decent follow up to the legendary Chinatown. it keeps the twists and intricate schemes of the first. but the romantic, unnerving and disturbing touch is lost.
  • mjgildea
    November 22, 2006
    mjgildea
    An incredibly disappointing sequel to Chinatown.
  • michaelcorleone
    April 1, 2009
    michaelcorleone
    I tried my best to keep Chinatown out of mind while watching this film, but it doesn't even hold up on its own, let alone as a sequel to one of the greatest films ever made. Fundamentally, it's a convoluted and emotionally devoid script with brief flashes of something stronger. A... read morelthough it's a nicely photographed picture, Nicholson fails to accomplish any particular mood or tone from a directorial standpoint. The acting is a mixed bag of strong, mediocre and poor. Overall, I just found this to be an uncompelling movie.
  • lopcar1993
    November 13, 2009
    lopcar1993
    This 1990 sequel to the critically acclaimed hit Chinatown has lost some of it's edge and precision over the years but it hasn't lost the heart or the powerful sense of intrigue and mystery that the first film had. But what The Two Jakes delivers is nothing short of smart... read more and cool under the vibrant direction of star Jack Nicholson and the help of the impressive supporting cast that includes Ruben Blades, Harvey Keitel Richard Farnsworth, David Keith and Madeleine Stowe. But what really catches you about this movie is not the intriguing new story laid out for you It's the haunted past of the first film that keeps popping up once ever so often to drive this film and point out he fact that time doesn't heal old wounds.





    The Two Jakes has a highly original story blended with the dark and bleak reality of the events that occurred at the middle and end of Chinatown, while not as potent or as well acted as the '74 classic but it has it's moments where it soars above the original and there are moments where it doesn't even come close to succeeding the original. But this film does give you a good dose of mystery and intrigue even if it is at sometimes a little one sided.





    Jack Nicholson is great as ever as J.J. Gitties but being older has kind of taken the edge and some of the strength out of the character and made him less of a commanding power on the screen. But never the less Nicholson pulls it off amazingly. Harvey Keitel is fantastic as the other Jake, he brings the betrayal and corruption to the film and is perfectly suited for the role. Madeline Stowe really is a factor for why this film is not as great as it could have been, she is over acting so much in the film that her narcissistic character almost becomes a nuisances. Ruben Blades is slick as the mobster best friend to Harvey Keitel but he also is kind of over and under acting in some of the scenes he's in but nevertheless pulls it off without a hitch. All in all the cast is good here and makes this film a worthy sequel.





    The Two Jakes is not as, like I said earlier, near perfect or as gritty and dark as the Chinatown of old, but what it does have is a great and undeniable sense of what is right and what is wrong and how far too go when it comes to digging up the truth. Even when sometimes the truth is best to stay buried. The Two Jakes is not a case you need to jump on right now but it is one you need to look into when the time is right.
  • cacutshaw
    April 9, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Suffered from being compared to Chinatown, this is a great piece of noir filmmaking. A great ensemble cast and an excellent story help make the continuing adventures of Jake Gittes really entertaining.
  • fb5320086
    May 18, 2012
    fb5320086
    As great as it is to watch Nicholson as Jack Gittes again this particular film just isn't the right vehicle for it. The plot is confusing and often unclear and meandering with a key twist that just about everyone should see coming from a mile away. I love Robert Towne's sharply w... read moreritten voiceover speeches for Gittes but mostly this is a misfire that pales to the brilliant 'Chinatown'.
  • aelric99
    November 23, 2006
    aelric99
    what can i say? it wasn't as good as chinatown, but it was still alright and was definately a competant sequel. perhaps if polanski directed this one, it would have been better, but hey, it's still worth a look see.
  • KentAron
    September 11, 2006
    KentAron
    Great movie... totally great movie... i love it... some people hate it and say it didn't need to get made, but i love The Two Jakes and i'd love another movie that takes place now...

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Critic Reviews

Jeremiah Kipp
November 8, 2007
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine

The Two Jakes allows Nicholson to reprise one of his most memorable characters as a way of seeing whether he's still got it. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 30, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Points out that we may think we're done with the past but it almost never is done with us. Full Review

Rob Thomas
October 23, 2003
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Of course it's no "Chinatown," but it is satisfyingly moody and atmospheric.

Christopher Null
September 9, 2003
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

feels a lot like a retread of Chinatown, only without the style and panache that Polanski brought to the table Full Review

Jon Niccum
June 19, 2003
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World

Disappointing follow-up to Chinatown

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

No review available.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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