Re Kevin's observations below:
> A lot of people seem to hate THE TWO JAKES, but
I
> see it as the
> logical sequel to CHINATOWN, tracing not just
the
> development of Los
> Angeles, but of the private eye genre itself, as
it
> moved from
> Hammett and Chandler's mean streets to
the
> psychological mean streets
> of Ross Macdonald. No, JAKES is not CHINATOWN,
but
> most movies
> aren't. What it is is a perhaps flawed
but
> nonetheless engaging and
> intelligent, thought-out sequel that actual
deserved
> to be filmed,
> not a quickie rip-off with a number tacked on
the
> end of its title.
I agree. *The Two Jakes* may not be as good as
*Chinatown*, but it's the best private eye picture
*since* *Chinatown*, which automatically makes it one of the
two best PI films of the last thirty years.
My one complaint, and it's a fairly minor one, is that the
film assumed the audience had an intimate knowledge of the
events in *Chinatown*. Not merely a passing familiarity, but
intimate knowledge. So if you hadn't seen *Chinatown* a very
short time before seeing *2 Jakes*, you were likely to find
things a bit confusing. But, like I said, that's a minor
quibble.
I'm still hoping that somehow they'll manage to get the third
one made.
JIM DOHERTY
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