Private investigator in 1937 Los Angeles. Former beat cop in Chinatown. His history as a cop in Chinatown, where the corrupt stay corrupt and everyone is supposed to look away, influences him greatly. Jake was never very good at looking away, no matter how much trouble it caused him. Sadly, this also tends to cause trouble for other people, especially Evelyn Mulwray. Jake is a man perpetually in over his head. Unlike the traditional private eye, however, Jake can be disarmingly human. Though he isn’t scared by physical threats, he is susceptible. And, unlike most Hollywood private eyes, Jake tends to be wrong more often than he is right, missing important information and putting clues together incorrectly. He also exhibits the odd inability to comprehend the larger picture. Jake exhibits some of the common traits of a hard-boiled private investigator. Honest and tough. Never gives up. He is reluctant to take on a job he feels won’t satisfy a client. "Well, to tell you the truth, I lied a little." He appreciates crass jokes, shows a willingness to get violent with both men and women who cause him trouble, and never lets physical threats scare him off a case. "Chinatown" movie Jack Nicholson