56
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIt's an exquisite short story about a mood, and a time, and a couple of guys who are blind-sided by love.
- 80Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumThis is a worthy successor to Chinatown - full of ecological and geological insights into Los Angeles history that recall Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald and give a view of southern California that could have been conceived only by a native.
- 80EmpireEmpireThe Two Jakes is well-acted and looks fabulous, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond paints it eerily bright and shiny.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe Two Jakes is competent and watchable.
- 50Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerRobert Towne's screenplay is less opportunistic than many of his efforts in recent years, although it still contains moments designed merely to shock or titillate.
- 50Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversTowne doesn't weave all the elements as deftly as before, and his political observations seem secondhand.
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineWhat it lacks are the dramatic underpinnings and emotional core that made the original film an engrossing mystery as well as a cinema classic.
- 50VarietyVarietyThis oft-delayed sequel proves a jumbled, obtuse yet not entirely unsatisfying follow-up to Chinatown, rightly considered one of the best films of the 1970s.
- 40Washington PostWashington PostAt best, the movie comes across as a competently assembled job, a wistful tribute to its former self. At worst, it's wordy, confusing and - here's an ugly word - boring.
- 10Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonWhat The Two Jakes makes us long for most is the earlier film.