Sequels to great movies are rarely as good as their originals, and "The Two Jakes" is no exception: For those who have seen "Chinatown," "The Two Jakes" could hardly be called essential, or even really necessary, as it mostly recapitulates themes and characters from that great movie. Instead of intrigue around the importation into L.A. of water, this one features the machinations of the oil industry. Besides this, Robert Towne's screenplay, while undeniably intelligent and punchy, is more than a little hard to follow, and might have benefited from some good editing or a judicious rewrite. In short, the story is too convoluted, with the relationships between characters almost impossible to decipher, and the movie is decidedly overlong.
Still, there is quite a bit that could be called great in "The Two Jakes": the set and costume design is absolutely exquisite, as is Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography, and Jack Nicholson's direction is better than good, even very nearly inspired. Even in these areas, though, the movie has a rather controlled tone that borders on oppressive: the set design very nearly overwhelms the story in the same way that Nicholson's direction feels arguably a little too redolent of his own (very often successful) laconic, measured acting style. One wonders if this might have been intentional: one great scene has Nicholson's Jake Gittes interviewing Meg Tilly's Kitty Berman while she gets a facial, her face covered in green mud, only her eyes and lips visible as she smokes a cigarette and takes probing questions from Gittes. This scene, as with much of the movie, creates a quite intense sense of claustrophobia, of the interconnectedness of everything and everyone, present and past. In this respect, "The Two Jakes" could be said to work quite well: as the screenplay would have it, there is no escape from the past. But even more, there are few actual escapes in a culture that has been, to a significant degree, built on rapaciousness and escape. The filmmakers seem confident of this viewpoint, and it plays convincingly, if, however, in relation to "Chinatown," redundantly. (The Movie Czar 12/16/19)
Still, there is quite a bit that could be called great in "The Two Jakes": the set and costume design is absolutely exquisite, as is Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography, and Jack Nicholson's direction is better than good, even very nearly inspired. Even in these areas, though, the movie has a rather controlled tone that borders on oppressive: the set design very nearly overwhelms the story in the same way that Nicholson's direction feels arguably a little too redolent of his own (very often successful) laconic, measured acting style. One wonders if this might have been intentional: one great scene has Nicholson's Jake Gittes interviewing Meg Tilly's Kitty Berman while she gets a facial, her face covered in green mud, only her eyes and lips visible as she smokes a cigarette and takes probing questions from Gittes. This scene, as with much of the movie, creates a quite intense sense of claustrophobia, of the interconnectedness of everything and everyone, present and past. In this respect, "The Two Jakes" could be said to work quite well: as the screenplay would have it, there is no escape from the past. But even more, there are few actual escapes in a culture that has been, to a significant degree, built on rapaciousness and escape. The filmmakers seem confident of this viewpoint, and it plays convincingly, if, however, in relation to "Chinatown," redundantly. (The Movie Czar 12/16/19)