"The Two Jakes" was the sequel to "Chinatown" that apparently no one wanted. Much of it was because it came out so much after the original film back in 1974. It also was directed this time by Jack Nicholson himself, as the original director, Roman Polanski, could not come to the USA to film because of an outstanding conviction for raping a 13 year-old back in 1977. Regardless, it lost a lot of money in the box office...earning back only about half what it cost to make.
The story is a bit convoluted and confusing. So, instead of talking about much of the plot, I'll just mention the set-up...you can see the rest yourself. A client, Jake Berman (Harvey Keitel), comes to see Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) because he claims his wife is having an affair. When Jake and his assistant enter the room where the wife is with her lover, Berman pushes past them....and shoots the lover. It turns out the dead man was Berman's business partner....and not surprisingly, the police arrest him. What's next? Well, a LOT!
The film looks great...and they achieved the 1948 look very nicely. It also has some terrific actors in it. And, I liked the style of the film. But it was very confusing in spots...and I had to really concentrate to know exactly what was happening much of the time. Still, not a bad film at all and with some nice surprises...and certainly much better than its reputation.
The story is a bit convoluted and confusing. So, instead of talking about much of the plot, I'll just mention the set-up...you can see the rest yourself. A client, Jake Berman (Harvey Keitel), comes to see Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) because he claims his wife is having an affair. When Jake and his assistant enter the room where the wife is with her lover, Berman pushes past them....and shoots the lover. It turns out the dead man was Berman's business partner....and not surprisingly, the police arrest him. What's next? Well, a LOT!
The film looks great...and they achieved the 1948 look very nicely. It also has some terrific actors in it. And, I liked the style of the film. But it was very confusing in spots...and I had to really concentrate to know exactly what was happening much of the time. Still, not a bad film at all and with some nice surprises...and certainly much better than its reputation.