RARA-AVIS: THE TWO JAKES (Re: The Dark Knight)

From: Brian Thornton (bthorntonwriter@gmail.com)
Date: 23 Aug 2008

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    On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 7:00 AM, JIM DOHERTY <jimdohertyjr@yahoo.com> wrote:

    > Brian,
    >
    > Re your comment below:
    >
    > "I found THE TWO JAKES, although flawed, to be a terrific film, and far
    > better than most anything you'd find in a first run movie house during the
    > late 80s/early 90s/."
    >
    > We're in the same book on this one. Maybe even the same chapter, if not
    > quite on the same page.
    >
    > A fine movie, the best of all post-1966 (the year of HARPER) private eye
    > films with the clear exception of CHINATOWN itself.
    >
    >

    Thanks Jim, and it's a pleasure to agree with you here (as opposed to those Twin Topics Which Shall Not Be Named...).

    I found it interesting that THE TWO JAKES was such a personal project for Nicholson. He executive produced it, had a large hand in the re-writes on Towne's script, got Keitel onboard for it, and then even wound up directing it himself.

    And speaking of the casting, getting his two original partners back from the first movie was great, and Madeleine Stowe and Meg Tilly have never been better, IMO.

    I'd further agree with you that after CHINATOWN it's the best post-HARPER PI movie (ironic in that I watched HARPER just the other night. GREAT movie. Wears well with multiple viewings). A close third? HOLLYWOODLAND. I felt in many ways that Brody's character in that was a spiritual descendant, or at least the bastard, seedier, less successful younger brother of the smooth-talking J.J. Gittes.

    But my comments regarding HOLLYWOODLAND are well-documented in the archives, so I'll stop there for now.

    All the Best-

    Brian Thornton

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