Review of The Two Jakes (1990) by Nick F — 17 Apr 2010

Like 2010 and Psycho 2 (also with Meg Tilly), The Two Jakes is a fine film that suffers unjustly as it follows classic milestone in film, in this case, Chinatown. Sporting more polish and shine then its gritty predecessor, Nicholson's return to the Jake Gittes character is nonetheless something impressive to watch.

The plot is dense and difficult to follow, but the stellar cast headlined by Nicholson keeps you going despite your bafflement. The golden hued cinematography adds a great quality to the film that keeps your eyes glued to the screen.

Nicholson is in fine form here; no longer the scrappy upstart of the original film but still armed with a keen eye for human nature and detection. Granted, Nicholson dispatches others to do most of the leg work while he carries on conversations, but its somehow still all fascinating to watch.

The much missed Meg Tilly adds another great performance to her belt, milking the part for all the sexy mystery it can. Everyone turns in memorable performances, Keitel holding his own as the 'other' Jake and Eli Wallach as a slick lawyer.

Nicholson adds some wonderful period details such as snippets of old commercial jingles and convincing 1950s production design that looks allot better then any CG elements that would play in today's cinema.

If you're a fan of Nicholson or Chinatown, its hard to be disappointed by this sequel.