Wednesday Minute
No. 114 | June 9, 2010

Derrick and the Dominoes

Our theme this week
Films about oil, and what it does to people

Featured this week (theme introduction)
Monday         —   Giant (1956)
Tuesday         —   The Wages of Fear (1953)

The Two Jakes (1990)

Robert Towne had the idea for a trilogy, films set in three decades (the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s), chronicling three defining elements of Los Angeles history (water, oil, and the freeway).  The first was Chinatown (1974).  The second was The Two Jakes (1990).  The third, Cloverleaf, was never made.

In today’s feature, Jake Gittes is older and wiser, even wealthier, now a member of a country club.  He’s still a private eye in the divorce racket.  One of his clients is the other Jake, Jake Berman (Harvey Keitel), a real estate developer, who suspects that his wife is having an affair.  A sting at a motel goes all wrong and Berman’s partner ends up dead.  Possibly it’s murder, and Gittes, unwittingly, could be an accessory.  The case from there is a twisted one, leading to, among other things, the corruption behind the booming times in postwar L.A., including its burgeoning oil business.  There’s also a twist involving Katherine Mulwray, the daughter from Chinatown.  Like any noir hero, Gittes has a past.

Jake Gittes is played, of course, by Jack Nicholson, reprising the role.  He also directed, taking over for Towne, who wrote the script.  The film is not considered a classic like Chinatown—but then, what is?  If it weren’t a sequel, The Two Jakes probably would have a better rep than it does.  There’s a lot more to it than your average period piece or crime movie.  The film gets deep into its characters.  It provides a darker, less glamorous view of L.A.’s past than Chinatown, and even if the plot is less tight, The Two Jakes offers a number of memorable scenes, along with other pleasures, as the story unwinds.

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The Two Jakes (1990)
Jack Nicholson, director
Trailer

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The Two Jakes (1990)
Jack Nicholson
Jake Gittes remembers his past

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Quote of Note
“You can follow the action, which gets you good pictures.  You can follow your instincts, which’ll probably get you in trouble.  Or, you can follow the money, which nine times out of ten will get you closer to the truth.”
—Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), The Two Jakes (1990)

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1. The Two Jakes (1990) | Old Old Films says:

   July 1, 2011 at 12:31 pm

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