Jack Nicholson might be one of the greatest movie stars in Hollywood history, but his 1990 film noir sequel should have been much more successful. Making a name for himself with character roles in the late 1960s, Nicholson would go on to star in some of the biggest movies of the 1970s, where he became a household name. Known for his naturalistic performances that were the opposite of the stagey acting of earlier generations, Nicholson helped spearhead the New Hollywood era. Many of his movies rank among the best of all time, and it’s largely due to his acting.

Even after the New Hollywood era faded, Jack Nicholson gave excellent performances that reflected his age. The ’80s and ’90s were a strong period for the legend, and he flexed his muscles in oddball roles like The Joker in Batman, and more understated parts such as in The Crossing Guard. Even if the movies themselves were of questionable quality, Nicholson could always be counted on to turn in a performance that could elevate any script. However, he wasn’t always a hitmaker in the 1990s, and the disappointing failure of one of his films is still surprising today.

Jack Nicholson’s The Two Jakes Deserved To Be A Much Bigger Hit

It Had All The Ingredients To Be A Hit, But Still Failed

Coming almost two decades after the release of Chinatown in 1974, Nicholson returned to reprise his role as Jake Gittes in 1990’s The Two Jakes. The noir sequel is set 10 years after the ending of the first film, and follows the private investigator as he finds himself embroiled in another case that’s much larger than he ever expected. Despite getting mostly positive reviews from critics, The Two Jakes was a financial disaster that only earned $10 million against a $25 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Movies are always hit-or-miss, but The Two Jakes shouldn’t have flopped that hard.

The story is a classic noir adventure with plenty of twists and turns, though it obviously pales in comparison to the classic noir from the ’70s. Nicholson is his spirited self, and he slips back into the role of Gittes with relative ease. He even builds upon the character who is still weary from his previous case, and it’s clear that the PI in The Two Jakes has grown since his harrowing experience back in the 1940s. The movie’s updated 1950s setting is subtle-but-effective, and The Two Jakes is a terrific-looking noir.

There are many reasons why The Two Jakes didn’t find an audience, and it’s largely due to the fact that it was released in 1990. The movie had been in development hell for years, and 1990 might have been the worst year to release a sequel to Chinatown. The early 1990s was decidedly anti-nostalgia, and was in direct opposition to the idealism of the 1980s. If it had come out in the second half of the decade, or earlier in the 1980s, The Two Jakes could have been a smash. Unfortunately, the film arrived exactly when nobody wanted it.

How The Two Jakes Compares To Jack Nicholson’s Other ’90s Movies

The Two Jakes Is One Of Nicholson’s Better 1990s Movies

Despite nearing the end of his amazing career, Nicholson was busy throughout the entirety of the 1990s. However, the actor’s catalog in the decade is somewhat spotty, and there were more disappointments than there were triumphant successes. The Two Jakes was the first Nicholson film of the 1990s, and he would follow it up with a packed 1992 that included three movies. A Few Good Men is one of Nicholson’s best movies, but Hoffa and Man Trouble were tremendous flops.

Jack Nicholson’s 1990s movies include:

Wolf was a unique turn for Nicholson and was a box office success despite its mixed reviews. Understated thrillers like The Crossing Guard and Blood and Wine allowed Nicholson to show off his amazing range, but the movies got mixed reviews and were financial failures. The Evening Star was a sequel to Nicholson’s Oscar-winning ’80s film, Terms of Endearment, but the late-coming sequel was a flop. Mars Attacks! was a fun movie that has become a cult classic, but As Good as It Gets would end the ’90s for Nicholson with another Oscar win and a huge box office performance.

When taking the entire decade into perspective, The Two Jakes lands somewhere in the middle. None of Nicholson’s films from that period are particularly odious, but many were mediocre and bland. The 1990s was an explosive period of rebellious new art in film, and many of Nicholson’s films felt a step behind the times. The Two Jakes is no exception, and it largely suffers because it’s a sequel to such a groundbreaking movie. Jack Nicholson took few risks in the 1990s, and that’s why so many of his films from that period aren’t remembered today.