The Two Jakes (1990)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Jack Nicholson

Writers (WGA):

Robert Towne (characters)
Robert Towne (written by)

Release Date:

10 August 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

They say money makes the world go round. But sex was invented before money.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | Murder | Orange Grove | Widow | Sequel

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	J.J. 'Jake' Gittes
Harvey Keitel	...	Julius 'Jake' Berman
Meg Tilly	...	Kitty Berman
Madeleine Stowe	...	Lillian Bodine
Eli Wallach	...	Cotton Weinberger
Rubén Blades	...	Michael 'Mickey Nice' Weisskopf
Frederic Forrest	...	Chuck Newty
David Keith	...	Det. Lt. Loach
Richard Farnsworth	...	Earl Rawley
Tracey Walter	...	Tyrone Otley
Joe Mantell	...	Lawrence Walsh
James Hong	...	Kahn
Perry Lopez	...	Captain Lou Escobar
Jeff Morris	...	Ralph Tilton
Rebecca Broussard	...	Gladys
Paul A. DiCocco Jr.	...	Liberty Levine
John Hackett	...	Mark Bodine
Rosie Vela	...	Linda
Allan Warnick	...	Manfred P. Rippey
Susan Forristal	...	Delores
Will Tynan	...	Judge Alexander K. Dettmer
Van Dyke Parks	...	Francis Hannah
William Duffy	...	Desk Sergeant
Sue Carlton	...	Mattie Rawley
Don McGovern	...	Bartender
Luana Anders	...	Florist
Dean Hill	...	Cop with Parrot
Pia Grønning	...	Dr. Elsa Branchauer
John Herman Shaner	...	Saul
Michael Shaner	...	Benny
Lee Weaver	...	Caddy #1
Malek Abdul-Mansour	...	Caddy #2
Kenneth Cervi	...	Prowler (as Ken Cervi)
Annie Marshall	...	Client with Dog
Ian Thorpe	...	Errol Flynn Look-alike
Collette Northrop	...	Cigarette Hat Check Girl
Patricia Durham	...	Clarissa
Randi Ingerman	...	Lana
Joy Wayman	...	Lady Asleep at Clinic
Bob George	...	Bar Maitre D'
Suzanne Mitchell	...	The Redhead
Alan Chaffin	...	Bar Manager
Wyn Costello	...	Black-Eye Woman
Lisa Croisette	...	Laura Teal, Actress at Max Factor (as Lisa Regina Croisette)
Jessica Z. Diamond	...	Receptionist
Scott Flynn	...	Golf Advisor
Benard Ihgner	...	Singer at Green Parrot
Earl Palmer	...	Green Parrot Band
Simeon Pillich	...	Green Parrot Band
Herman Riley	...	Green Parrot Band
Faye Dunaway	...	Evelyn Mulwray (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Ent	...	Bailiff #2 (uncredited)
Moreen Littrell	...	Military Wife (uncredited)
Tom Waits	...	Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Nicholson

Writing credits (WGA)
Robert Towne		(characters)
Robert Towne		(written by)

Produced by
R. Blaine Currier	....	associate producer
Robert Evans	....	producer
Alan Finkelstein	....	associate producer
Harold Schneider	....	producer
Jack Nicholson	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Van Dyke Parks

Cinematography by
Vilmos Zsigmond

Film Editing by
Anne Goursaud

Casting by
Terry Liebling

Production Design by
Jeremy Railton
Richard Tom Sawyer		(as Richard Sawyer)

Art Direction by
Richard Schreiber

Set Decoration by
Jerry Wunderlich

Costume Design by
Wayne A. Finkelman

Makeup Department
Ray Sebastian	....	makeup artist
Toni-Ann Walker	....	hair stylist
Brad Wilder	....	makeup artist
Joy Zapata	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Max Stein	....	unit production manager (as Max A. Stein)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Daves	....	first assistant director
Todd Grodnick	....	second second assistant director
Michael Kennedy	....	assistant director
Linda Rockstroh	....	second assistant director
Gail Seely	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Mark Boucher	....	set dresser
Mark Boucher	....	swing gang
Nigel A. Boucher	....	leadman
Emily Ferry	....	property master
Christopher Gilman	....	props
Charles R. Lipscomb	....	lead man
Harold Michelson	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Greg Curda	....	foley mixer
Julia Evershade	....	supervising sound editor
John Hoeren	....	sound effects editor
James Matheny	....	dialogue editor
Bob Newlan	....	sound editor
Art Rochester	....	production sound mixer
Greg P. Russell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Douglas J. Schulman	....	boom operator
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul C. Warschilka	....	first assistant sound editor
Thomas Whiting	....	supervisng adr editor
David Williams	....	dialogue editor
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)
Carolyn Tapp	....	foley recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David Domeyer	....	special effects
R.J. Hohman	....	special effects assistant
Joe Lombardi	....	special effects coordinator
Paul J. Lombardi	....	supervisor
Michael Roundy	....	special effects technician

Stunts
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Lloyd Alexander	....	grip
William D. Barber	....	first assistant camera
Earl L. Clark	....	camera operator
Ray De La Motte	....	camera operator
Jeff Mart	....	Steadicam operator

Editorial Department
Ron Lambert	....	color timer
Jimmy Sandoval	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
J.J. George	....	assistant music editor
Todd Hayen	....	orchestrator
Lennie Niehaus	....	orchestrator
Lonnie Sill	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Paulie DiCocco	....	driver: Harvey Keitel
Shane Greedy	....	production driver
Joel Marrow	....	transportation coordinator
Joseph Sullivan	....	driver

Other crew
Carmen Avila	....	assistant accountant
Joanie Blum	....	script supervisor
Robert L. Dohan	....	assistant location manager
Les Godwin	....	associate location manager
Anthony Goldschmidt	....	title designer
John Hackett	....	stand-in
T.J. Healy II	....	assistant location manager
Jim Jaffe	....	product placement
Andrew Lipschultz	....	unit publicist
Bertram McCann	....	marine coordinator
Jennifer Nicholson	....	assistant to production designers

Production Companies

• 88 Productions
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1991) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Paramount Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)

Special Effects

• Special Effects Unlimited

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• Cinema Research  opticals
• Conway Recording Studios  music recorded at
• Mario's Catering  catering
• Pacific Title  titles
• Reel People Inc.  negative cutting
• Segue Music  music editing
• Unique Movie Cars  picture cars
• Video Image  video playback services
• Warner Hollywood Studios  sound re-recording

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

88 Productions

Trivia:

Writer Robert Towne, producer Robert Evans and director Jack Nicholson founded the production company T.E.N. in 1985 just to produce this film. When legal and financial problems occurred, Nicholson finished the project alone.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Set in 1948, Jake strolls past an automatic teller machine.

Quotes:

Jake Gittes: You can't trust a guy who's never lost anything.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Ain't Too Proud to Egg/The Two Jakes (#2.7)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Don't Smoke In Bed

Adequate Sequel to "Chinatown"

"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.