Review of The Two Jakes (1990) by Tracey C — 13 Sep 2007

"The Two Jakes" is the sequel to the famous mystery film "Chinatown". It is true that "The Two Jakes" isn't a classic of the caliber of its prequel, but then few films are. None the less, it is an excellent film in its own right.

Rather than the 1930s setting of "Chinatown", this film moves to the 1940s with a similar splendor. Jack Nicholson aptly reprises his role as Jake Gittes and the supporting cast is solid as well. The important point about "The Two Jakes" is that it succeeds in developing a thoughtful and convoluted mystery in the same spirit as its prequel. Also important is that it successfully integrates material from "Chinatown" into its story. Jack Nicholson's monologues to accompany the story were hit or miss. Some of them were clever, others seemed quite trite. Overall I found "The Two Jakes" to be a satisfactory sequel to "Chinatown", which is saying a lot.