Jacob's Ladder

    Jacob's Ladder
    1990

    Synopsis

    After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex-wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis, fails to reach him as he descends into madness.

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    Cast

    • Tim RobbinsJacob
    • Elizabeth PeñaJezzie
    • Danny AielloLouis
    • Matt CravenMichael
    • Pruitt Taylor VincePaul
    • Jason AlexanderGeary
    • Patricia KalemberSarah
    • Eriq La SalleFrank
    • Ving RhamesGeorge
    • Brian TarantinaDoug

    Recommendations

    • 91

      Christian Science Monitor

      Tim Robbins gives a strong performance in this first-class horror yarn, which has a surprisingly strong political edge.
    • 90

      The New York Times

      The ending of Jacob's Ladder, when it finally arrives, is, like much of the film, both quaint and devastating.
    • 88

      Chicago Sun-Times

      This movie left me reeling with turmoil and confusion, with feelings of sadness and despair. Those are the notes it strives for.
    • 88

      ReelViews

      I wouldn't go so far as to classify Jacob's Ladder as a masterpiece, but it is smart and compelling and unquestionably worth a first or second look.
    • 88

      TV Guide Magazine

      Truly frightening and visually unique, this messy, challenging film is anchored by Tim Robbins' remarkable performance.
    • 80

      Chicago Reader

      Thanks to a remarkable script by Bruce Joel Rubin and the directorial skills of Adrian Lyne, this works as both a highly effective stream-of-consciousness puzzle thriller offering the viewer not one but many "solutions" and an emotionally persuasive statement about the plight of many American vets who fought in Vietnam.
    • 60

      Washington Post

      True to his resume, director Lyne produces a frenetic battery of visceral images, ominous music and that ol' faithful standby, the eerie background chorus. To give Lyne his relentless due, this does make for some heart-thumping moments. But it also causes Ladder to fall ultimately flat on its surrealistic face, the victim of too many fake-art sequences.
    • 60

      Empire

      Despite all the confusion, it's a simple case of the script being too ambitious. It may emulate a man experiencing flashbacks, but it doesn't help the audience.

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