The Two Jakes

Seen for the first time in January 2013.

That a film is not as good as "Chinatown," one of the finest films of the 70's, is not at all a fair criticism to level any film. But by virtue of being its sequel, I probably won't be able to keep myself from spending much of my time explaining why "The Two Jakes" is not as good as "Chinatown." This is despite the fact that I think "The Two Jakes" is a very enjoyable film with many entertaining parts. I would certainly watch it again.

Nonetheless, it's not as good as "Chinatown." First of all, I don't really understand it. I don't understand the plot. The motivations are opaque. It's moody, but we don't really understand why it's moody. And I suppose I could rewatch the scene where Keitel's Jake Berman character actually talks about his motivations and figure things out better, but truthfully I don't really care. Fundamentally the plot of this movie doesn't really make any sense, and whatever the contrived explanation is, it isn't really going to make it make sense. By the way, did Berman's business partner really not know who his wife is? It's easy enough to figure out well before the movie reveals it.

Also, "The Two Jakes" is a little tawdry, a little tacky. Listening to the pleasured moans of a women engaged in sexual congress strikes a dissonant note for example. "Chinatown" was a classy movie. A fine movie. "The Two Jakes" is a base thriller. I like cheap thrills. But you want "The Two Jakes" to be respectful to its heritage. It doesn't quite succeed.

And on the other hand, "The Two Jakes" is portentious. Jake Gittes, and in this movie everyone pronounces his name how it's spelled, is haunted by the past. Characters talk about how you can "never escape" the past and we get serious voice-overs and and a such a serious tone at times. "Chinatown" did not try so hard to be a serious movie. It was before it was anything else, a suspenseful thriller with a particularly great iconic 70's film ending. It didn't have to tell you it was serious, it just was. True to the best of noir's instincts. it featured a flawed protagonist, in an irredeemably corrupt world, who fought that corruption on behalf of one innocent. And who lost, because corruption is inexorable, and the innocent do not survive. Maybe "The Two Jakes" tries to gesture at this sort of thing, but it's not really integrated into the story cohesively and we're back at the fact that all in all this movie doesn't make any sense.

But it entertains nonetheless. And when it isn't being tacky or corny, it can be pretty funny. I don't really get it. I don't get what's going on with Harvey Keitel for example pretty much at all. But Jack Nicholson more or less carries the film with his charisma nonetheless. Grade B.