Jacob's Ladder (1990)

I wonder if this movie could be made today after all, it doesn't have any computer-generated special effects, it demands the viewer's complete attention, and really needs to be seen more than once to appreciate fully the meaning of all of the scenes. Incredible too is that the writer (Bruce Joel Rubin) was working on the filming of this and his more popular movie "Ghost" at the same time. Director Adrian Lynne wisely avoided some of the more sacharrine touches that Rubin had in the original script (such as the view of "Heaven") and added many subtle disturbing elements of his own. The final result is a film that you will think about long after you see it, a man's journey through the bardo state to his final enlightenment. In a way, this is the cinematic equivalent of a Pettersson symphony an emotional catharsis after the long, dark night of the soul. I'm not ashamed to say that I cry like a baby every time I watch it.

Comparisons with Bierce's "Occurrance at Owl Creek Bridge" and "Carnival of Souls" are inevitable and not out of place, but "Jacob's Ladder" has more layers than either of those and ambitiously takes on the psychological layers of one man's life, the tension between the comforts of home, wife and family and the unfufilled desires he harbors.

There are some violent scenes and very disturbing imagery throughout the movie; after all, it *is* about war, fear, and death. However, none of it is gratuitous, and the use of strobe lighting, quick cuts, and odd camera angles keep the viewer from being able to see anything definite. But don't say you weren't warned....

The DVD's documentary and deleted scenes, along with the director's commentary, will enable the first-time viewer to get a more complete idea of what is happening. I've watched this film at least a dozen times, and never fail to see something new in it each time. Sound and image quality are excellent.

This one isn't for casual viewing; it is *certainly* not a Saturday-night time killer, nor is it a "horror" movie in the standard sense of the term. Still, absolutley my highest recommendation.

Jacob's Ladder is a psychological thriller in which Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins), a Vietnam veteran, is suffering from hallucinations which seem to have some connection with what happened to him one night in Vietnam war. Jacob finds himself living in different time realities and he just cannot grab at the present time. He sees demons and nightmarish visions strangely combined with flashbacks of that night in Vietnam which make him pass out. When he regains conciousness, he wakes up to completely a different time reality which, too, turns out to be a false at the end, leading him to another false reality. He cannot make sense of the situation and thinks he is losing his mind. He constantly finds himself trapped in neverending sequences of nightmares that he cannot wake up from. This cycle never ends until the end of the film when all the other realities vanish, leaving out only one reality which makes Jacob's Ladder a brilliant movie. Jacob's physician Louis probably express the main theme of the movie best in these words: "So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth."

I think this movie is unfairly underestimated and not given enough credit. Tim Robbins' performance is flawless and fascinating. Adrian Lyne directed the movie very well; the emotions and the tension that are aimed to be brought about are achieved quite successfully. One interesting fact about the movie is that when you watch it for the second time, you notice a lot of things, which you did not notice or could not make sense out of in the first place. Names, small incidents, conversations, even the advertisement in the downtown train take on a new meaning once you know what is really happening to Jacob Singer. I strongly recommend Jacob's Ladder to the people who like psychological thrillers and soft horror movies.

Bluray review: I must say I am disappointed by the bluray release of Jacob's Ladder. The picture quality, the details, colors, are all very poor. If you have the regular DVD, keep it. Wait until they re-release it (I hope they do) with better picture/audio quality.

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Jacob's Ladder open's with New York postal worker Jacob Singer waking on a subway train having just experienced a nightmare flashback to his time in Vietnam. Upset and confused he tries to ask his fellow passengers if he has missed his stop but as he passes them he sees flashes of tails and horns in the uncommunicative people whom he approaches for help. Exiting the train he finds the stairs to the subway locked and on crossing the tracks he narrowly misses being hit by a train coming in the other direction and whilst lying on the track he witnesses yet more disturbing images as the train passes by. Unsure whether these images are real or as a result of some form of post traumatic stress disorder from his time in `Nam, he struggles to keep his grip on sanity as his life becomes a nightmare, with his days punctuated by visions of demons, his first wife and his dead son. His life begins to unravel and the line between reality and delusion becomes ever more fragile.

This is, in my opinion, by far and away Adrian Lyne's best movie, which may surprise some people given the fact his CV includes big box office hits such as 9 ½ Weeks, Indecent Proposal and Fatal Attraction. His direction is subtle, considered, well-paced and as near as you'll get to perfect. The cinematography is also excellent and the use of special effects are relatively understated but effective, which is something that can rarely be said since the advent of CGI. As for Bruce Joel Rubin's screenplay no praise is too high. It is intelligent, intricate and complex and it keeps you guessing until the end. In fact there is so much in this movie that second time around you'll find yourself picking up clues that you missed first time around and appreciate the cleverness and different levels of the story even more. Tim Robbins is excellent as Jacob, whom he succeeds in making a very sympathetic and vulnerable character, whose life literally becomes a nightmare. The supporting cast is excellent too with Elizabeth Pena (La Bamba, Rush Hour etc) and Danny Aiello (Leon, Do The Right Thing) in particular putting in notable performances. Jacob's Ladder also features supporting performances from Matt Craven (The Life of David Gale), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and Eriq La Salle (ER).

I first saw Jacob's Ladder at the cinema when it first opened back in 1990. I had read an article about it in a magazine, which was complete with disturbing still photographs from the movie. The article was intriguing in that it said that the screenplay, written by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost) had been doing the rounds in Hollywood for several years but that although everybody agreed it was an excellent screenplay it had been considered unfilmable until Director Adrian Lyne got hold of it. On the day before seeing `Jacobs Ladder', for the first time, a review in the now defunct British newspaper `Today' described it as a five star classic and I still remember watching it in the cinema on its opening night, transfixed by the story and disturbed by the images, whilst jumping out of my seat a few times. I have loved this movie ever since and have loaned out my old VHS copy many times since then but what still surprises me is that so few people seem to know this movie or have seen this movie, which to me seems like a crime.

Perhaps Jacobs Ladder's lack of box office success can be put down to it often being classified as a horror movie, which is to do it an enormous disservice. Sure there are elements of Jacob's Ladder that can be compared to the horror genre but it is so much more than that. Complex, downbeat but also spiritually uplifting it was perhaps too intelligent and too disturbing to achieve a mass appeal. However, it still amazes me and saddens me that real dross such as Vanilla Sky has many people waxing lyrical when something as good, sorry excellent as this slips by relatively unnoticed. Jacob's Ladder I would suggest is a superior forerunner to movies such as Vanilla Sky and even The Sixth Sense and I highly recommend it!

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That Bruce Joel Rubin's amazing screenplay was kicked around Hollywood for ten years trying to find a producer, and then tanked at the box-office when it finally hit the screen, shouldn't surprise you in the least. "Jacob's Ladder" is far too challenging for the mall crowd. Unlike most Hollywood movies, it actually requires you to pay attention and to give up the comfortable expectation that everything in a film will immediately make sense. If you can't manage that, look elsewhere. But for those who appreciate subtlety and are willing to stick it out, this will be one of the darkest, yet most interesting, rewarding and endlessly watchable films you'll ever see.

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There are only a handful of movies I find myself watching over and over again. Jacob's Ladder, so much so, I've worn out my VHS completely and am now awaiting the release of the DVD. This movie is one of the most thought provoking, intelligent films made in my life time. The fact that Leonard Maltin did not understand it's content and found the ending "like a bad shaggy-dog joke--[negating] the entire film," awakens me as to why all modern films are written and marketed for the "stupid" movie goer. Leonard, the ending doesn't negate the story, it is the reason for the story. Jacob Singer's (Tim Robbins) journey to death is a battle for his soul. He finds out why he died, how he died, when he died and who is responible but never realizes he is dead. So the battle ensues. He is protected by his chiropractor/gaurdian angel (Danny Aiello) fending against demons like his girlfriend (Elizabeth Pena). Jacob never returns from Vietnam, as the flashbacks to Vietnam indicate. They say when you die, your life flashes before eyes. This movie suggests much more. The past, the present, the future, the imagination, the senses, the afterworld. Once he comes to grips with death, he can release his soul to heaven and leave the demons behind. While Leonard Maltin left the movie befuddled and confused, I wept. If you have not seen this movie, see it. If you have seen it and did not understand it's meaning, see it again.

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