Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Vietnam veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) thinks he is going insane. Or worse. When his nightmares begin spilling into his waking hours, Jacob believes he is experiencing the aftereffects of a powerful drug tested on him during Vietnam. Or perhaps his posttraumatic stress disorder is worse than most. Whatever is happening to him, it is not good. Director Adrian Lyne sparks our interest and maintains high production values, but this confusing film chokes on its "surprise" ending. It owes much to Ambrose Bierce's haunting and more straightforward story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek." Written by Bruce Joel Rubin, who also explored the "other side" in Ghost and My Life, it ultimately feels like an exercise in self-indulgence. A spirited performance by Elizabeth Peña outshines Robbins, who is surprisingly lethargic. --Rochelle O'Gorman Amazon.com

The ladder leads to confusion.

I watched this on video and absolutely hated it.
The story makes no sense.
Or maybe I was so bored I wasn't paying attention.
Is he crazy, is he possessed.
It turns out the whole movie is one bad acid trip.
The movie is good commentary on what war does to people.
Otherwise it's just not very much fun to watch.
I had no idea what was going on the entire time and the ending doesn't explain anything.
Trippy effects don't make a good movie.
Pass on this one.
June 23, 2008

Nicely Done

A very well crafted piece of anti-American propaganda about a Vietnam vet who is a victim of a plot to increase the aggressiveness of American soldiers by using a new form of LSD February 16, 2008

A Semi-Fantasy Film

I saw this well crafted, well acted film years ago; and, I simply wanted to write a brief comment. Jacob's Ladder could well be classified within the horror genre; however, there smacks a certain element of fantasy, of reality versus illusion. The illusions that Jacob experiences? Are they real? Or, are they indeed hallucinatory? Does he somehow assume a future life? Obviously the hallucinations were caused by the chemicals used by the government to enhance, or to augment, the military prowess of the military engaged in the horrors of modern combat. There is obviously a message here, an earlier "ripped from the headlines" warning revealed in depth. At first the viewer isn't sure who Jacob is, or was. Did he have two wives? Or, was Elizabeth Pena's alliance with him strictly illusory. Why would a doctor, a PhD., become a postal operator? The grotesque scene in which Tim robbin's character is wheeled through a hospital labrynth showing mutilated dead bodies is a stern reminder of the horrors of war. Recommended. February 6, 2008

horror? well sure.

if you are looking at this movie because you want a good horror movie, hold on a minute. i noticed the bad reviews are centered on that aspect and i think that's a problem. will this movie scare you? hell yes, but you have to let it. this isn't about being a horror movie (oddly, it never occured to me to consider it horror) this is a movie that draws you into the the life of the main character that just so happens to be horrific. this is one of the finer films i have seen in my life, but if you go into it with any preconseived notions of what the film should be then you do it a disservice by not allowing it to do what it does best.
this film takes you on a frightening paranoid journey through the characters persieved reality. it causes you to question all things theological and physical along the way, and alows you to inject your whole self into a fantastic escape from your own mundane existance.
this is what great filmmaking is about. January 27, 2008

Masterpiece

One of the most underrated movies ever, and that is why I am taking the time to give a short review. I would like to direct the reader to the Metacritic page to see how some critics labeled this as some sort of atrocity. I must say these people are absolutely full of ****. I have watched over a thousand films and this is in the top 100. I adore the acting, the direction, set design, and most of all the wonderful script.

For now I won't go over much, but people need to know that loving care was given to this film by Adrian Lyne and written by Bruce Joel Rubin; you can see this love in the beautiful opening shots of vietnam to the interiors and the loving way each actor exists in the movie, they all need each other, and the direction for each involving scene is quite immersive and satisfying. The soundtrack is very pretty but sombre and sad at times. Nothing ever shows a hint of any weakness.

The TIME article is so far up its own *** that I am angry at the fact this film is so mistreated by these 'professionals'. As if it is more cliche than something like Saving Private Ryan, for all its astounding splendor, the actual movie wasn't even that well tied together. This movie is tied very tight with resounding themes about dream, angels, demons, and what war means for the living and the dead. You will find that for every weakness you look for in this movie, a strength outshines it by tenfold. I cannot say enough about the acting, FROM EVERYBODY, and how this 1990 movie just doesn't feel dated, at all, and you would almost expect that from a supernatural thriller of this type. It just proves that 'they' are not making movies like this anymore in Hollywood's non Indie scene.

Anyway, despite my overwhelming hatred for petty and contrived reviewers, don't listen to the bad ones, they mean nothing. The NY Times and Roger Ebert have fair and balanced reviews of this film, scoring around 90 on the Metacritic. Read them, but watch the movie first. A true American Classic. January 12, 2008

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