FAQ for
Chinatown (1974)

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Chinatown can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/parentalguide.

No. Chinatown is based on an original screenplay written by Robert Towne. A sequel called The Two Jakes (1990) was also based on a screenplay by Robert Towne and stars Jack Nicholson (who also directed it).

Chinatown is the place of Jake's past. He talks about how he tried to keep a woman from being hurt and ended up making sure she was hurt; about how they tried to do 'as little as possible' because to do anything would often result in innocents getting hurt. His experience in Chinatown was the reason he left the force and probably explains his initial cynicism. It also foreshadows the conclusion, where he again makes sure a woman is hurt even when he tries to help her. Chinatown is the place and state of mind that always comes back to haunt him and is part of a vicious cycle of the rich and powerful succeeding over the poor and disenfranchised. The final line points up the cycle of violence and the desire to simply forget all about it; because there's nothing you can anyways. Jake spends the entire film trying to get at the truth, trying to help a woman, and all his efforts result in her death and a continuation of the cycle. I guess Chinatown could be any place in or near LA, but its 'otherness' probably contributes to the feeling of displacement and uselessness. And 'Forget it, Jake. It's Glendale' just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Yes. The Two Jakes (1990).