The Two Jakes

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The Two Jakes

R

1990

2h 17m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

Romance

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Private investigator and war veteran Jake Gittes is hired by real estate developer Jake Berman for some run-of-the-mill matrimonial work. After Berman shoots his wife's lover, who happens to be his own business partner, Gittes is drawn into a web of conspiracy and deceit involving the oil reserves beneath Los Angeles. While investigating, Gittes hears a voice from his past that causes him to revisit a traumatic case in Chinatown.

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Stephen Amidon

Financial Times

Aug 18, 2021

It is a fundamentally strong story, though it lacks the ingenious nuances and twists of Towne's earlier effort.

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Geoff Brown

The Times (UK)

Aug 18, 2021

As a thriller, The Two Jakes proves impossible to follow; as an exercise in retro style, it glows with sullen beauty. Forties suits, ties, two-tone shoes: everything is in place, bathed in hard-edged gloom.

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Aug 18, 2021

In short, The Two Jakes, combining the best of the old and the best of the new, is one helluva good movie.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 5, 2025

3/4

Nicholson's turn as Gittes is enjoyable, but it never quite feels like the same man from Chinatown (also reviewed here). Yet The Two Jakes is admirably dense in a manner that's satisfying rather than frustrating.

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Josh Mooney

Movieline

Sep 16, 2025

The Two Jakes is frustratingly complex and baffling.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Sep 2, 2025

2.5/5

Although visually sumptuous, Jack Nicholson's direction and acting in "The Two Jakes" results in a largely inert follow-up to "Chinatown."

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Jacob W

@RT17896586 Oct 27, 2026

This is a great film that is also dirty JN and is the long overdue sequel to Chinatown

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 5, 2026

The Two Jakes is a *2* star Movie!

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Shawn N

@shawn70 Apr 5, 2026

I'm no dummy, but this was too hard to follow. Likely could have been very entertaining, but I just watched it in a daze without really understanding who was doing what and to who because and why....wha? Exactly.

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Veselin M.

@Rambo_pine47 Dec 28, 2025

An amazing film and an amazing sequel to Chinatown. Really creative story like Mulholland Falls and the best part is to think how Gittes was hit with the memories from the past! Really the connection between those two films (Chinatown and The Two Jakes) is really good made!

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Carlos I

@carlosFibarra Oct 20, 2025

As a sequel to the neo-noir classic Chinatown, The Two Jakes is decent enough, with Jack Nicholson returning to direct and star as J.J. Gittes, who finds himself entangled in a new web of deceit and double-crosses years later. However, the film overall proves to be rather dull, spending too much time unraveling its complex plot and delivering exposition, ultimately lacking the sharp, cynical bite and surprising twists that made its predecessor so compelling and memorable.

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Tobias C

@RT49545144 Sep 15, 2025

A solid LA Noir that is very satisfying for the slow-burn thriller fan. Its biggest problem is that it didn't step out of the grand shadow of Chinatown and match the broadly dispersed mystery which tied in more seemingly unrelated angles into its final tragic ending. On its own, The Two Jakes is great for any mystery lover.

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Jack Nicholson

Director

Jack Nicholson

Jake Gittes

Harvey Keitel

Julius 'Jake' Berman

Meg Tilly

Kitty Berman

Madeleine Stowe

Lillian Bodine

Eli Wallach

Cotton Weinberger

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Synopsis

Private investigator and war veteran Jake Gittes is hired by real estate developer Jake Berman for some run-of-the-mill matrimonial work. After Berman shoots his wife's lover, who happens to be his own business partner, Gittes is drawn into a web of conspiracy and deceit involving the oil reserves beneath Los Angeles. While investigating, Gittes hears a voice from his past that causes him to revisit a traumatic case in Chinatown.

Director: Jack Nicholson
Producer: Robert Evans, Harold Schneider, Jack Nicholson
Screenwriter: Robert Towne
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, 88 Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy, Romance, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 10, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.4M
Runtime: 2h 17m
Sound Mix: Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track

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