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Jacob's Ladder
1990
Adrian Lyne's JACOB'S LADDER moves in time and space between Vietnam and New York with hallucinatory force. Something bad happened on the Mekong Delta, on October 6, 1971, and it is still affecting war veteran Jacob (Tim Robbins) in Brooklyn as he attempts to live a normal life with coworker and girlfriend Jezzie (Elizabeth .. Read more
| Starring | Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pena, Danny Aiello, Macaulay Culkin |
|---|---|
| Director | Adrian Lyne |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Jacob's Ladder
Adrian Lyne's JACOB'S LADDER moves in time and space between Vietnam and New York with hallucinatory force. Something bad happened on the Mekong Delta, on October 6, 1971, and it is still affecting war veteran Jacob (Tim Robbins) in Brooklyn as he attempts to live a normal life with coworker and girlfriend Jezzie (Elizabeth Pena). Louis (Danny Aiello), an understanding chiropractor, tries to help him cope with his nightmarish visions--some of which occur at night, while others intrude into his daily life. When Jacob gets a call from Paul (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who was with him in Vietnam, it seems that Jacob is not alone in his visions. The film offers impressive and compelling performances by Pena, Aiello (no ordinary chiropractor), and Ving Rhames and Eriq La Salle (the latter of ER) as Jacob's comrades from Vietnam. Macaulay Culkin appears uncredited as Jacob's young son, Gabe. Director Lyne also guides an unerring interpretation of Bruce Joel Rubin's screenplay in Robbins's powerfully restless, searingly searching performance as Jacob; brilliant editing additionally rounds out this engrossing, disturbing film. JACOB'S LADDER is a jolting experience that is not easily forgotten.
| Starring | Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pena, Danny Aiello, Macaulay Culkin |
|---|---|
| Director | Adrian Lyne |
| Studio | OPTIMUM |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 48 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 48 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English |
| Released | DVD: 17 Mar 2003 Blu-ray: 01 Mar 2010 Production year: 1990 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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What's the cause of Vietnam veteran Tim Robbins's nightmare hallucinations, leading him to wander New York trying to figure out their mystical meaning? You'll be halfway up Adrian Lyne's shaky ladder before the Fatal Attraction director even thinks you're ready to climb the first rung. Although this rough assembly of horror clichés is surprisingly tautly scripted by Ghost writer Bruce Joel Rubin, Lyne orchestrates his satanic flashdance into an overly pretentious mess of distorted Platoon images and Biblical red herrings. And any fantasy that resorts to Al Jolson's song Sonny Boy to tug at the emotions is clearly in dire trouble.
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"...A slick, riveting, viscerally scary film....Played with disarming ease and sharp, frightening urgency by [Robbins]..."
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Most helpful member's review
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27 out of 27 people found this review helpful
Disturbing fascinating masterpiece!
Jacob?s Ladder is one of those unappreciated works of excellence, unappreciated in the sense that it was a box office failure, and few people know its existence. I asked my film-marketing friend what he thought and his insightful response was ?Huh?? It is hard to believe that a respectable film critic such as my friend has never heard of this little gem!
Tim Robbns plays the role of Jacob, a Vietnam War veteran working as a mailman in New York. Divorced, living with his girlfriend in a less than glamorous apartment, having to see a chiropractor to help him cope with crippling back pain (Louis, his chiropractor is a character to be taken notice of), and trying to come to terms with terrible memories of the war and even more devastating, the loss of his little boy in a tragic accident, still grieving though years have passed. Jacob leads a less than charmed life.
But things suddenly seem to get worse; people are not whom they appear to be, times and dates appear confused and Jacob begins to hallucinate, seeing demons on the streets and social events. Just as he ? and others, including his girlfriend ? start to believe he is going crazy, fellow Vietnam survivors start to come forward, professing to be going through the same hell as Jacob, and then one by one, disappearing. As Jacob tries to discover what happened to him during his service in Vietnam, as the bits of his nightmare from those days are pieced together, Jacob?s very existence is placed on the line.
This is at once a truly harrowing and thought provoking tale. Based upon actual alleged events surrounding the American war in Vietnam, the film throws an un-glamorised light on the disasters of war, highlighting the psychological scars that are left behind, never to heal.
Dealing with thought provoking issues about man?s mortality, his soul and heaven and hell, its script shies away from being ?preachy?, and boasts some excellent nuggets such as ??devils are only angels, stripping us of all our worldly possessions and memories, helping us to let go??[paraphrased slightly].
This is definitely not a film that spoon-feeds its audience. It requires concentration and thought to unravel the events, to attribute meaning to them, and to understand the twist at the end. The film is potent, and sad; the true impact of the film will be felt at the end when the twist unveils itself, and all the pieces fall into place.
Superbly acted on all fronts, -Robbins shines in this performance ? I can find no fault with this film. It is a great shame that Adrian Lynn didn?t receive the recognition he deserves for this brilliant work. THIS FILM IS A MUST SEE!! -
Most recent members' review
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13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Jacob's Ladder
I always heard of this film as being disturbing and it was. Jacob is battling against his own mind and the forces of evil that are out to get him. You are never sure whether he is imaginng these forces as some evil or if they are present in reality, the sequences change from war experience to past history and to what we assume is the present, however it is hard to rationalise what is real. There is a strong sense of menace that has the feel of a bad trip with paranoia and stench of menace. Its a great film and I really enjoyed it. The revelation at the end is shocking, however I found the ending was unsatisfying for such an absorbing film.
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News and features
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The Time Traveler's Wife
- Tom Charity
- 10 Aug 2009
This must be a metaphor for something, surely? I haven’t read Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling novel and after seeing this silly, banal movie I very much doubt I’ll be seeking it out, but the book clearly speaks to some people, and maybe the film will too. There is a situation, not a plot: Clare (Rachel McAdams) is hopelessly in love with Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), a chap she meets when she’s all of six years old, and he’s stark naked (behind a bush). He... Read more
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Jacob's Ladder - BLU-RAY Version
Adrian Lyne's JACOB'S LADDER moves in time and space between Vietnam and New York with hallucinatory force. Something bad happened on the Mekong Delta, on October 6, 1971, and it is still affecting war veteran Jacob (Tim Robbins) in Brooklyn as he attempts to live a normal life with coworker and ...
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Jacob's Ladder
Adrian Lyne's JACOB'S LADDER moves in time and space between Vietnam and New York with hallucinatory force. Something bad happened on the Mekong Delta, on October 6, 1971, and it is still affecting war veteran Jacob (Tim Robbins) in Brooklyn as he attempts to live a normal life with coworker and ...
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