Remember Chinatown? Who could forget, the Roman Polanski vehicle is often deemed one of the best movies ever made, with a shocking and unforgettable ending that is followed by a memorable quote, “forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown”. So how do you follow up on what many deem as one of the best films of all time? The history of Chinatown is fascinating because while many are fond of the neo-noir film, the sequel, The Two Jakes, didn’t particularly draw the same praise as the first film. It has a solid critic score on rotten tomatoes; however, an abysmal audience score compared to the first film, which has over 90% on the review website. Reportedly, there was actually a trilogy planned with the third installment being called Gittes vs. Gittes; however, the dismal returns at the box office and lukewarm critical reception scrapped any potential of a third film.
The Two Jakes saw the private investigator hired by real estate developer Jake Berman, who shoots his wife’s lover and business partner. Like the first film, Gittes is drawn into a world of deceit, lies, and corruption that thrives under the surface of Los Angeles. Given the negative feedback surrounding the sequel, was there any need to do a follow-up to one of the best movies ever made? Here’s the thing, this question isn’t as black and white as it seems.
On the surface, it’s understandable why a sequel was made. Jake Gittes is a private investigator, so there are plenty of intriguing stories to tell with his character. In his world, it’s always a fascinating watch to check out the seediness and corruption that’s under the war veteran’s nose. The Two Jakes may have not lived up to the standards of Chinatown, but there’s nothing wrong with Robert Towne and Jack Nicholson exploring this world and expanding the Chinatown universe. Obviously, greed played a factor. Hollywood is a business first and foremost so, despite the high praise that the first film received, executives and producers saw dollar signs and ventured to squeeze more out of the Jack Nicholson character. However, as I previously stated, this isn’t a black and white situation as at the end of the day, Towne and Nicholson were fighting an uphill battle because it was going to be nearly impossible to top the story arc of the first film. Not every series can be The Godfather or Toy Story.
The most interesting aspect about The Two Jakes wasn’t even present in the second entry, which is the aftermath of the events that took place in the original Chinatown. The Two Jakes doesn’t ignore what happened in Chinatown, but it’s not a follow-up to the shocking death of Evelyn Mulwray. There’s no guarantee going in that direction was going to turn out well either, but the film skipped over a strong story to focus on a different period of Jake’s life. In truth, Jake did reach his goal of getting to the bottom of what was going on with Ms. Mulwray; however, his case still wasn’t complete. He watched the women he loved die right in front of his eyes. It was extremely bold to go with such a grim ending, but it was ultimately the right move. The ending seemed destined for a one-and-done feature because why didn’t Jack focus on taking down the corruption in Chinatown? I know that the sequel is over a decade later, but it’s hard to overcome such a dark ending of that nature and not continue on with that story. Had Polanski gone with the original script ending, which saw Evelyn and her illegitimate daughter get away, with Noah Cross being killed; Then it would’ve effectively closed the chapter on that story. Chinatown isn’t great because of it’s shock ending. It’s considered a masterpiece because of the incredibly layered and complex story that takes you on an unforgettable journey.
Because Towne and Nicholson focused on something else, there was a black clouding hanging on the least interesting part of the sequel. This isn’t to say that The Two Jakes couldn’t overcome the first film. All the ingredients for an excellent sequel were there. Sure, Roman Polanski was no longer attached to the project, but Towne and Nicholson were also key ingredients of the first movie as well. Still, the climax of Chinatown ultimately ruined The Two Jakes. Trying to take down the evil Noah Cross could’ve been a masterpiece. But if that avenue was never going to be explored then Towne and Nicholson should’ve left the world Chinatown alone.
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