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Cast

Jack Nicholson
as J.J. 'Jake' Gittes

Harvey Keitel
as Julius "Jake" Berman

Meg Tilly
as Kitty Berman

Madeleine Stowe
as Lillian Bodine

Eli Wallach
as Cotton Weinberger

Ruben Blades
as Michael "Mickey Nice"

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

Jeff Morris
as Ralph Tilton

Rebecca Broussard
as Gladys

Paul A. DiCocco Jr.
as Liberty Levine

John Hackett
as Mark Bodine

Rosie Vela
as Linda

Allan Warnick
as Manfred P. Rippey

Susan Forristal
as Delores

Will Tynan
as Judge Alexander K. Dettmer

Van Dyke Parks
as Hannah

William Duffy
as Desk Sergeant

Sue Carlton
as Mattie Rawley

Jonathan Hackett

Don Charles McGovern
as Bartender

Luana Anders
as Florist

Dean Hill
as Cop with Parrot

John Herman Shaner
as Saul

Michael Shaner
as Benny

Lee Weaver
as Caddy #1

Randi Ingerman
as Lana

Bob George
as Bar Maitre d'

Jessica Z. Diamond
as Receptionist

Tom Waits
as Plainclothes Policeman

Faye Dunaway
as Evelyn Mulwray

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Critic Reviews for The Two Jakes

Audience Reviews for The Two Jakes

• Dec 01, 2012

  The long awaited sequel to Chinatown continues the story of Jake Gittes as he investigates the seedy underbelly of L.A. in The Two Jakes. This time Jake is caught up in a murder case when his client kills a man that's sleeping with his wife, but evidence soon comes to light that suggests that it was less of a crime of passion and more of an elaborate trap. Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Madeleine Stowe, and Meg Tilly form and especially strong cast, and give great performances. The characters and the mystery are quite compelling, but the plot's overly convoluted and detracts from the rest of the film. While The Two Jakes has its flaws, it still delivers a smart and stylistic film-noir that's captivating and provocative.
  Dann M Super Reviewer
• Oct 12, 2012

  The Two Jakes suffers from what most sequels to highly successful and acclaimed films do, in that it relies too heavily on its predecessor, the revered Chinatown, to give it a narrative heft, and, in turn, doesn't work as well as it should on its own merits. It has an atmospheric mood and generally good acting, but a muddled plot too concerned with recalling back to the past, and executed with a meandering pace. The direction by Nicholson is largely hit and miss, with a number of good scenes with a keen sense of framing, but also, at times, seemingly unfocused. The actors do a good job keeping the story interesting which, along with great world building, make it passably worthwhile, yet still a disappointing follow-up. 3/5 Stars
  Jeffrey M Super Reviewer
• Nov 29, 2011

  For me, there was no way that "The Two Jakes" wasn't going to be at least a little disappointing. Making a decent sequel to the greatest film ever made is a hard feat to accomplish, but if you can understand the kind of talent involved during the production of "The Two Jakes" and realize its good intentions, then maybe you'll find yourself enjoying more than most have. Now, as a film, "The Two Jakes" passes as a noteworthy, if forgettable, retro-noir, but as a sequel to "Chinatown," it's awfully mediocre. To be completely honest, it's a total snooze-fest, and not only is it clunky, cheesy and confusing, but Jack Nicholson's direction is lackluster and poorly-paced, which is bad for a film that consists mostly of dialogue. Also, "The Two Jakes" possesses the unlikable qualities of being both unexciting and uninteresting. There isn't enough in it to make the audience care, and there were long stretches where I found myself getting fidgety. Overall, "The Two Jakes" contains moments of subtle brilliance, but it's really just too average to stand out.
  Stephen E Super Reviewer
• Mar 16, 2010

  For an unnecessary sequel, The Two Jakes is pretty amazing. It really kept the style of the first film and really built on the characters in the first. You could clearly see how much Jack Nicholson cared about the film and his devotion to Polanski’s filming style. However, this is very much a late 40s approach to Film Noir. You have the start of the baby booming age and the rise of suburbia. It’s a very interesting look at the dying genre and is in no way a cheap knock off of the original. Even the lighting and film quality looks the same, which is probably my favorite aspect of the film making from Chinatown. Jack Nicholson really makes a great return as Jake Gittes. He is even more apathetic and cynical than before. You can see the 10 years between films both physically and mentally. He’s still one of the best screen characters of American Cinema and you can’t help but fall in love with him all over again. I liked how he still was being haunted by Mulray and never quite got over the events that happened in Chinatown. The plot was actually just as clever as the first film and certainly holds it’s own. It doesn’t exactly play like a sequel because there was completely new case with different good guys and bad guys. A lot of scenes run similar to the original, but they’re mostly small little homages that occur pretty flawlessly. You can tell this was a nostalgia project, but it’s one of the best. It reminds me a lot of The Color Of Money, in no way does it compete with the original, but it is incredibly fun none the less.
  Conner R Super Reviewer

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