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"The Two Jakes" is the sequel to "Chinatown", a film that really did not need another chapter. However, with that said this is an above average film that works most of the time. Jack Nicholson returns and is sucked into another web of deception and corruption. He is hired by Harvey Keitel to follow his two-timing wife (a very sexy Madeleine Stowe). Just like before, the more Nicholson learns about his case, the stranger and more complicated it becomes. Everything will lead to fireworks which involves a housing development and oil-drilling in the Los Angeles area. Like "Chinatown", "The Two Jakes" is multi-layered and somewhat confusing at times. It will likely take multiple viewings to get the full effect of this film if you are unable to get it on the first try. Robert Towne's screenplay is smart, but Nicholson's direction lacks the creativity and overall brilliance of Roman Polanski's. Meg Tilly is adequate in the film. Ruben Blades and Richard Farnsworth both do good work, but overall nothing in this film can match what was accomplished 16 years earlier with its predecessor. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

In the sequel to Chinatown, private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) works divorces in post-war L.A. Jake Berman (Harvey Keitel) hires him to catch his cheating wife Kitty (Meg Tilly). They are the two Jakes. It's a scripted set-up but they catch Kitty in bed with his business partner Bodine and shoots him dead. There is a question about Jake Berman's motive by the police. There is a wire recording. There is a tract of land. There is possibly oil. There are mobsters, oil tycoon, and the constant earthquakes.

I didn't understand it back in the day. I got bored with it. It has the 70's noir with a 90's sunshine glare. Nicholson is older and less energetic. Madeleine Stowe's performance threw me off. To me, she's faking a melodramatic damsel and I kept wondering if her character is faking it. After watching it recently, I actually understood the general premise of the movie but some of the whys still elude me. It's better but it's still too long. The tension is not quite the same as Chinatown. Jake Gittes needs to be in more danger. He seems to be outside of it. Also, it pales in comparison with its iconic original.

Most reviews pull The Two Jakes to pieces, except for a very well-considered one by Roger Ebert (find it at the Chicago Sun-Times).

Of course, it's not the classic Chinatown is, but it's a damned good movie. It's about the past, how it pervades our lives for the rest of our days, and how we assimilate it into our futures.

Many have complained that the film is convoluted, that when the key revelation comes (I ain't givin' that away) you miss the impact of it. I strongly disagree with this. I for one had actually figured out the revelation before it happened - this didn't bother me because I wanted so much for it to be what I had thought it was going to be. And when it comes, it's so subtle you could almost be forgiven for missing it. It's lovely, so comforting in a very ironic way.

All I'll say is, pay attention to the scene where Jake (Nicholson) goes to see Kahn (the unmistakable James Hong). Something about the flowers...

Anyway, I'm drifting. The Two Jakes is subtle, well-crafted, and when all is revealed, so very simple. The 'convoluted' events in the plot serve to illustrate what a single, simple desire can cause.

Just watch it. Bear in mind the events and characters from Chinatown, but only so that you have a back story for these characters and not a standard to which they should be compared.

Being a "sequel" to "Chinatown," I had high expectations of this film. I even gave it two looks - one on VHS and then one a few years later on DVD - because I wanted so much to like it....but it stunk each time. What a waste of money.

The only thing going for it is the beautiful film-work and the great 1940s atmosphere, as "Chinatown" had some 16 years earlier when that film came out. (Kind of long wait for a sequel, anyway, don't you think?)

If ever a movie could be called "convoluted," it's this one. It made Chinatown as simple as "Bambi." Even the mainline critics all agreed this was incoherent in its storytelling. It's less confusing, but not much, if you know the characters from Chinatown since there are references to "Kathryn Mulray." However, it's just too frustrating to watch and try to follow what's going on.

I know lots of people who loved "Chinatown" but not one who likes this film.

The sequel to "Chinatown" (1974) finds Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) investigating adultery and murder... and the money that comes from oil.

Made 16 years after its famous predecessor, the film had a very troubled production, and was supposed to be made around 1985. Originally, producer Robert Evans was to play the "second" Jake, but Towne, who was going to direct the film at that time, did not think he was the right choice and fired him. After this, Nicholson ended up directing (and it would be his last film to date).

Obviously, it was never going to be as good as the original. But it did not deserve to flop, either. Jack Nicholson is commanding in his performance (and direction), and I would suspect that the film would have a growing fan base as Harvey Keitel's star rose post-Tarantino. This is the same great underworld as before, and I wish a third film would have come to pass.