Max Planck

Admittedly, Chinatown’s a hard act to follow and perhaps best to view The Two Jakes as a standalone project. In that context, it’s a visually appealing film depicting layers of intrigue and corruption in postwar LA but I found it listless and adrift in its efforts to recant the earlier story elements which employed rich characterizations that added so much to Chinatown here come off somewhat hollow.

A character study without character. Watching the credits (I actually lasted that long) I wondered why so much talent and resources were expended on this marginal exercise.