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Jacob's Ladder [1991]
![Jacob's Ladder [1991]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41818663YGL._SL160_.jpg)
RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £6.89 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
In Jacob's Ladder, 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 after-effects of a powerful drug tested on him during Vietnam. Or perhaps his post-traumatic stress disorder is worse than most. Whatever is happening to him, it's 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 short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek. Written by Bruce Joel Rubin, who also explored the "other side" in Ghost and My Life, Jacob's Ladder ultimately feels like an exercise in self-indulgence. A spirited performance by Elizabeth Peña outshines Robbins, who is surprisingly lethargic. --Rochelle O'Gorman
'I Thought I Was the Only One'. 'Me too'.
Review date: 2008-08-23 Rating: 6 out of 10
This is basically a yuppie nightmare movie, like After Hours or Something Wild. Ok, it's got 'Nam flashbacks and some pseudo-religiosity, which excites some middlebrow film reviewers, but it's essentially a load of old tosh.
Entertaining, though, like the Devil's Advocate (although that film didn't take itself so seriously).
Good points: George Constanza, with quite a lot of hair, as a seedy lawyer ('What am I? Perry Mason?'), all scenes with Elizabeth Pena, but particularly those where she is naked (oh, ok, all scenes with Elizabeth Pena) and the 'Stop, Wait a Minute Mr Postman' girls.
Bad points: the 'Nam bits, that Home Alone kid, the stupid story.
Worth buying, but not for more than about £2.50.
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Reviews
A masterpiece
Review date: 2008-03-03 Rating: 10 out of 10
Unfortunately one can not go into depth about Jacobs Ladder. Its a film where you cant really outline the plot without saying exactly what it is about. Saying what it is about will spoil it for those who have yet to see it. And when you watch it you will understand why.
Tim Robbins plays troubled man, Jacob Singer. Without giving anything away about why he is troubled, Jacob serves in Vietnam after a tragedy that will change his life forever. On the surface this film is about the horror of the war and Jacobs past coming back and haunting him when he returns home. Throughout the film Jacob has hallucinations and visions. Hunted by demons, he becomes convinced that there are people who want him dead. With his growing paranoia and fear of insanity, Jacob confronts the fears of his past and seeks out the truth of his involvements in Vietnam.
The purpose of this film is not to scare the viewer with its cast of demons and subliminal images. It has a deep story that evolves as Jacob explores and unravels the depths of his mind. Luckily it is not a bad ghost story with a poor ending. You sympathise with Jacob and the suffering he goes through. I, personally, was touched by this story. Although it is dark and gritty in story and the way it is portrayed, Jacobs Ladder is a truly beautiful film.
This is not a film that you can switch off to. You have to have your wits about you and need concentrate and remember what you see and what is said by the characters. You may feel confused about what is going on. The film is constantly switching between fantasy and reality and it is easy to get lost. But when the ending hits you in the face, you will look back on the film and everything will make sense. It is after the film that you think about and appreciate exactly what it is that this film does. However, most films that have good twists at the end wont have the same effect on you the second time you watch them. But this is where Jacobs Ladder differs from other films like that. In fact, watching it a second time will benefit you. You will spot things you didnt see the first time around and knowing the ending from the first time you watch it will make you understand the film a lot more the second time around.
Jacobs Ladder is more than just a psychological thriller. It is a film that will make you think and will have a great impact on everyone who watches it. Fathers with sons, in particular, will shed tears at this film at more than just the ending. Powerful performance by Tim Robbins makes this a great film that is a must watch for anyone.
A perfect mind
Review date: 2007-12-09 Rating: 10 out of 10
This movie is done a grave disservice being lableled as "horror." On the contrary, Adrian Lyne's (9.5 weeks Fatal Attraction)thought-provoking and disturbing film would best be categorized as "cerebral."
The illusion of reality is magnificently manifested throughout this movie, as the character of Jacob is systematically caught in a metaphysical vortex that transcends his perception of a post-Vietnam existence. Tim Robbins does an outstanding job playing Jacob, an unimposing man who is simultaneosly confused, overwhelmed, and frightened by the sudden appearance of "demons" in his life. Robbins is surrounded by a stellar supporting cast.
The haunting imagery of JACOB'S LADDER stimulates the mind and entices one to see this film, over and over again. It is a profound existential treat.
best of its genre, glory of non-linear and fragmented storytelling
Review date: 2007-07-05 Rating: 10 out of 10
Definitely a cult classic of its genre. Magnum opus of Adrian Lyne. But, I must warn that "Jacob's Ladder" is not for everyone, ideally suited for mature, patient, intelligent and attentive viewers because, as being difficult to follow and hard to digest, it is not an easy pill to swallow. It gets more and more cracked and convoluted at every turn, but ultimately so much rewarding if you could sit through from beginning to end.
The plot is multi-layered, segueing from alternate "realities" to the odd bouts of hallucinations. First layer is Jacob's lurid experience in Vietnam, a sinister battle in Mekong Delta, where his guts were pierced by a deadly bayonet thrust by an unseen assailant; Then, his post-Nam NYC life comes with flashbacks showing the days with his girlfriend Jezzie, who is compelled to cope with his intermittent psychotic episodes and gradual mental degeneration; Suddenly, we cut to his pre-Nam days during which he lives happily with his ex-wife and kids. At one point he is visited by his dead son, and haunted by his death scene.
These phantasmagoric trips occur between the pre-Nam/post-Nam worlds and the viewer gets overwhelmingly baffled whether which of these worlds were real and which were fantasy. And in all these worlds, he incessantly struggles to battle his inner demons seeming ubiquitous everywhere in "outside" world. Is he slipping into insanity; are all these mess a result of being doped by a mind-altering drug, making the soldiers hyper-violent war machines during the battle; is there a conspiracy by government to silence him; is he alive or is he dead. What a mishmash... You would be bombarded with lots of such questions, and some red herrings throughout the film.
In terms of technical aspects; masterful camerawork (virtually no computer-generated FX), bland color saturation, unconventional camera angles and ingenious direction by Lyne combine with all these blurred elements to create a haunting picture.
Although the ending seems to be dark and ambiguous, I think the film proves to be intellectually and logically complete. If you see this movie merely as a hapless man's ordeal on physical world, you have missed the main point and I recommend to watch again: look beyond the visuals, don't think the events on a linear time scale and pay a strict attention (especially talkings of Jacob's chiropractor, Dr. Louis) to the hints scattered throughout the movie.
[warning: spoilers ahead]
Actually, "Jacob's Ladder" presents an ALLEGORY for PURGATORY. Jacob is in purgatory all along. His hallucinations and trips between alternate "worlds" represent that his soul is searching some kind of "ladder" heavenwards, but nowhere to go except remaining in purgatory until he is forced to set himself free of all emotional attachments on "physical world" and to reconcile himself with his past. Therefore, the ending is all about final PURIFICATION of his SOUL on the brink of death after his guts were pierced by a bayonet thrust in Mekong Delta. Remember that Jacob's chiropractor, as well as his spiritual adviser, Dr. Louis (actually he's an ANGEL) incessantly tells him "his demons might be his angels", but Jacob sees only demons because his soul refuses to let go of his life. On the other hand, accepting his fate will reveal them to be angels cleansing his soul of emotions (towards his beloved ones) that he no longer needs to enter the kingdom of heaven. As we see on the final scene, Jacob is ascending the ladder (situated between heaven and earth) in his house towards a very bright light, actually ascending into heaven with his dead son. That's all...
Really mind-blowing and haunting. But not for casual movie-goers. Watch it alone in the dark....
Spine tingling
Review date: 2007-03-18 Rating: 8 out of 10
Beware, you could be in for a rough ride. If you choose to view this film as a horror story with a twist, then there are many other films in that genre that will shock you more - but what will really shock you is if you dare to get into the symbolism.
It's the story of a man seeing a life pass before his eyes, although not necessarily his own life in the conventional sense. It's said that we need to put our past behind us before we can move on, likewise, Jacob Singer has to do this but perhaps it's not his literal past but ashes of emotions and psychology scars that need to be abandoned.
Every scene drips with double-meanings; the heavy use of Judeo-Christian references: Jacob's ladder, a lover named Jezebel, being mugged by Santa Clause, etc.
It raises a question of what is real. The life we think we know is based on the choices we took and the roads we travelled but what of the infinite number of other realities filled with those other choices and those other roads? Are there other parts of us walking those roads? Even in this world we are conscious of the relativity of time, space and energy; we know that every moment can be brimful of space yet still filled with time, yet still filled with light and sound and memories. Many worlds co-exist and Singer moves between worlds.
Something has happened to Singer that we don't understand, he's in a place we don't recognise, but is it less real?
But, as dark and as grim as it gets, this film is ultimately one of hope and redemption. "You look like an angel", Singer says to his chiropractor, a chiropractor that straightens deeper knots than mere physical joints and tissues. And the chiropractor explains that the devils are just angels trying to free Singer from this world; a point that is almost thrown away on Singer and we viewers until in conclusion it becomes the whole point of the journey.
Watch it as a psychological thriller or as a piece of post-Vietnam nostagia if you wish BUT stare at mortality itself if you dare.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Danny Aiello
Matt Craven
Elizabeth Peña
Tim Robbins
Pruitt Taylor Vince
Creators:
Tim Robbins (Primary Contributor)
Elizabeth Peña (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Momentum Pictures
Manufacturer: Momentum Pictures
EAN: 5060021175502
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-03-17
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 108 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1990-11-02
Language: English (Original Language)