Rating:  -
Jake Singer (Tim Robbins) is a Vietnam Veteran who starts hallucinating demons in the world around him and soon becomes convinced that they are real.
If you took an individual scene from "Jacob's Ladder" and watched it on its own, then you would find a well-made, well acted piece of cinema with disturbing effects that still look pretty scary, even almost 20 years after this film was first released. However, looking at this movie as a whole, it's an irrational mess with an ending that nullifies its very existence... And speaking of the ending, if you can't see it coming within about half an hour of the film's commencement, then you're probably a little on the slow side. "Jacob's Ladder" has earned an almost "classic" status over the years and has been much ripped-off (for example, in "Soul Survivors"), although I have no idea why. Even if you do enjoy this film, as with many films that lead the audience to a "surprise" ending, once you know the ending, the enjoyment value of repeat viewings is much diminished. Such being the case, I doubt I will ever bother to watch "Jacob's Ladder" again. This is definitely one to rent, not buy.
Rating:  -
Wow government conspiracies and nonsense. Here it is, the guy gets shot in Vietnam and is dying. He proceeds to have hallucinations and dreams as he (and the movie) die for the next hour or so. None of it makes sense and yet people try to read conspiracies and secret government plans into it. It'all a dream and then he dies. Do not watch this film it's time you will never get back.
rmw
Rating:  -
Synopsis: Upon returning home from Vietnam, injured veteran Jacob Singer starts seeing strange things that no one else seems to notice. Are they monsters? Demons? The results of government testing? Or is it all in Jacob's head?
Jacob's Ladder is a beautiful psychological horror/thriller. It is shot beautifully and pioneered many visual styles and techniques used in the horror genre today. The supporting characters are on spot, particularly Jacob's chiropractor and his girlfriend, Jezebel. The main character seems a bit detached, but in this instance it's not entirely inappropriate. The movie also moves between horror, drama, and even scenes broaching on comedy effortlessly. While some people find the ending morbid or nihilistic, I personally thought that it was beautiful and even uplifting. It does move a bit slow and a things are not tied up until the very end, so if you like all the cards on the table, I would not recommend this movie for you.
Despite the flaws in the pacing, this is one of the better movies I've seen. If, from the description, it sounds like your cup of tea, you will probably love it. If you're looking for something more action oriented or more like the slasher and gore porn horror Hollywood seems to love nowadays, you'd best look elsewhere. So while I might rate it 5 stars personally, for general audiences I'm giving it a four.
Rating:  -
JACOB'S LADDER is one of the best psych-thrillers done in the last twenty years. As there are plenty of reviews dealing with the particulars of the movie, I'll just say that it is an extremely thought-provoking piece of film-making, full of disorienting, sometimes violent, imagery, and a rather shocking ending. If you're looking for a feel-good movie- this ain't it. If, however, you love suspense, and an ocassional dance on the wild side ( at least in your movies ), with dark dreams, and interesting questions about ethics this could be your cup of tea.
Rating:  -
In the late 60's early 70's people were coming back from Viet Nam and just plain freaking out. This film suggests that the Army was experimenting with BZ ( 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate ) gas which has mental effects.
It is well known that weed of a very high yield was circulating as well
as a lot of stateside smuggled drugs and prescriptions were abused.
But the defoliant called agent orange is said to have the worst long term effects? Mixing drugs and combat can be fatal:
and long term psychological effects can be mind blowing.
I really doubt the government is responsible for more than putting relatively untrained men into combat and letting them get a hold of the local drugs as well.
This movie just does a lot to make a very bad situation worse.
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