The Two Jakes
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| The Two Jakes | |
|---|---|
 theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Jack Nicholson |
| Produced by | Robert Evans Harold Schneider Jack Nicholson |
| Written by | Robert Towne |
| Starring | Jack Nicholson Harvey Keitel Meg Tilly Madeleine Stowe |
| Music by | Van Dyke Parks |
| Cinematography | Vilmos Zsigmond |
| Editing by | Anne Goursaud |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 10, 1990 (US) |
| Running time | 138 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $19 million |
| Gross revenue | $10,005,969 |
| Preceded by | Chinatown |
The Two Jakes is a 1990 American mystery film, and a sequel to the 1974 film Chinatown.
Directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, it also features Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Richard Farnsworth, Frederic Forrest, Pia Gronning, David Keith, Rubén Blades, Tracey Walter and Eli Wallach. Reprising their roles from Chinatown are Joe Mantell, Perry Lopez, James Hong, and, in a brief voice-over, Faye Dunaway.
It was released by Paramount Pictures on August 10, 1990. The film was neither a box office nor critical success. Plans for a third film about the character of J.J. Gittes near the end of his life have been abandoned.
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[edit] Plot
Los Angeles, 1948. Jake Berman (Harvey Keitel) has hired private investigator Jake "J.J." Gittes (Jack Nicholson) to catch his wife in the act of committing adultery. During the sting, Berman shoots the man, who turns out to be his partner in a real estate company.
Gittes, under scrutiny for his unwitting part in the crime, must figure out if it was justifiable homicide or murder and how it connects with California's booming oil industry. There is also a connection to his own past after Gittes stumbles upon a wire recording during the investigation that mentions Katherine Mulwray, the daughter of ill-fated Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) from Chinatown.
[edit] Cast
- Jack Nicholson as Jake "J.J." Gittes
- Harvey Keitel as Julius "Jake" Berman
- Meg Tilly as Kitty Berman
- Madeleine Stowe as Lillian Bodine
- Eli Wallach as Cotton Weinberger
- Rubén Blades as Michael "Mickey Nice" Weisskopf
- Frederic Forrest as Chuck Newty
- David Keith as Det. Lt. Loach
- Richard Farnsworth as Earl Rawley
- Tracey Walter as Tyrone Otley
- Joe Mantell as Lawrence Walsh
- James Hong as Kahn
- Perry Lopez as Capt. Lou Escobar
- Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray (voice)
- Tom Waits (uncredited) as Plainclothes Policeman
[edit] Production
Screenwriter Robert Towne originally planned a trilogy of movies involving private investigator J.J. Gittes. The third movie, called Cloverleaf, was to take place in the 1950s and concerned the creation of the L.A. Freeway (That story idea would be used in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit.)[1]
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. Nicholson ended up directing the film and not Towne.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Two Jakes at the Internet Movie Database
- The Two Jakes at Box Office Mojo
- Feature story by Aljean Harmetz, The New York Times (September 10, 1989)
