A compelling continuation of _Chinatown_ with loads of period flavor and dark humor. Why the dickens don't more people like this movie?

"The Two Jakes allows Nicholson to reprise one of his most memorable characters as a way of seeing whether he's still got it." - Jeremiah Kipp

Jack Nicholson's impressive, convoluted and moody sequel to Chinatown.

Well, it's certainly no Chinatown, few films are, but it's engaging in its own right. Gittes isn't as likeable at this point, what with Nicholson's kinda ragged appearance and behavior, but I guess he wouldn't be the same man after 15 years or so. The scene where he's got a gun in Loache's mouth in the middle of a police department's pretty stupid, the musical score's not as good (though I dug the Parks cameo) and I felt kind of lost at times. I'm griping too much, this is a fine film.

Chinatown is a tough act to follow. The plot moves very slowly and has none of its predecessor's punch with its plot twists. Indeed, this film telegraphs its central plot twist from about an hour away. Also, Meg Tilly has one of the most annoying voices I've ever heard in my life. With that said, Nicholson is a very good director and the composition and photography are excellent. The score and the acting are also pretty good. Worth watching once.

Not a bad story. A little overdone, but some extra points for Meg Tilly, who's adorable in this picture.

A good follow up to Chinatown. I utterly ADORE Jack Nicholson. He's amazing!

Booring sequel!

M: 70/100 S: 65/100 Mike: It's not Chinatown, but I thought it was well done. The end kind of peters out, but it works as the middle of a trilogy (for which the 3rd movie was never made). I guess the delay between Chinatown and this one really shut the whole thing down. Definitely only works in the context of having seen Chinatown. Sophia: It was okay...

Getting past the bizarre fact that THERE'S A GODDAMN SEQUEL TO CHINATOWN, I thought it was actually pretty good. It's just about as ambitious as its predecessor, and while it could never match that film's mind-blowing symphony of mystery movie excellence, it's a fine little detective story, enough so that I think it's a shame they never made the third film of the planned trilogy.