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Jacob's Ladder

R Released Nov 2, 1990 1h 53m Horror Drama Mystery & Thriller List
72% Tomatometer 69 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) 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 (Elizabeth Peña), and ex-wife, Sarah (Patricia Kalember), try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis (Danny Aiello), fails to reach him as he descends into madness.
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Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder

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Critics Consensus

Even with its disorienting leaps of logic and structure, Jacob's Ladder is an engrossing, nerve-shattering experience.

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Critics Reviews

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John Hartl Seattle Times For hours and days after you've seen it, you'll still be putting it together in your head. While all of it is gripping, it doesn't come together until the final scene, which is jolting, transcendent, unexpected yet inevitable. Rated: 4/4 Aug 23, 2014 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune As long as the movie refuses to commit itself, it is a truly creepy, nerve-jangling experience. Rated: 3/4 Aug 23, 2014 Full Review Peter Rainer Los Angeles Times In the best puzzle movies, the pieces fit -- eventually. But if you try to piece together Jacob's Ladder, all you get for your trouble is more pieces. Aug 23, 2014 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Manages to deliver nightmarish imagery, psychological torment, and a gripping relationship drama all wrapped up in a frightening and mysterious package. Rated: 4/5 Sep 22, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) This is gibberish. [Full review in Spanish] Dec 1, 2022 Full Review Graeme Tuckett Stuff.co.nz It is just one of those films that will get under your skin and stay with you. In 31 years, it hasn't aged a day. Oct 25, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member One of the best movies out there, It's what inspired Silent Hill Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Koorosh N It's a man, lost in a state of delirium, fighting with angles and going though hell, a hell made by himself. And trying to escape this hellish delusion only sinks you deeper into it. The film perfectly demonstrates a psychological hell, with creatures only imaginable in an evil world (and yet they are not evil!). This made this film one of the most influential films of the 90s, influencing the famous Silent Hill series. And even though it's not the best, but still blurs the line between real and unreal. Still the story could be much better. There are many logical contradictions, which is impossible even in an illogical psychological state. The worst part is actually the ending! The ending is not at all compatible with the rest of the story. There are also some illogical elements that can be considered as the illogicality of the delusion. As for the cinematography, considering that it's made in 90s, we can say Jeffrey L. Kimball did a great job. I absolutely love the special effects and specially the rapid head movements. And the acting of Tim Robbins and Elizabeth Peña are adorable. We deeply feel Jacob's fear and confusion and Jezzie's compassion and concern. And as for the ending text, it's a perfect example of how a movie can claim to be real, when even the director says it's not. There are reports of some secret tests in the Vietnam War, but the use of BZ is never documented. As Adrian Lyne says, he was inspired by Martin A. Lee's book Acid Dreams: The CIA, LSD and Sixties Rebellion, but "nothing in the book suggests that the drug BZ was used on U.S. troops." Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Ernesto C I've seen "Jacob's Ladder" endless of times. When in my 20s (when the movie hit theaters), the creepiness, violence and gore was what attracted me. Over the years I've come to appreciate it even more and become less aware of its violence and gore, and more aware of the truly sad story of Jacob Singer, a Nam war vet who apparently returns home to his girlfriend and to his job as a mailman, despite having a Phd in philosophy. At first, the audience might be put off by the endless flashbacks to the war and the dreams within dreams. Trying to put the puzzle together will not be easy at first, but once you nail it, you"ll discover how terrible is war, marriage break up and the loss of your dearest son, which few reviewers fail to put much importance to this side of the story (it's pivotal). Adrian Lyne was spot on perfect, going almost Kubrick with his way of story telling, and Tim Robbins performance as Jacob Singer is an robbed academy award nomination. Too bad the movie still has a way to go to earn the respect like "The Shining" or other films that were panned upon release. Jacob's Ladder is an absolute must-see! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/13/24 Full Review Audience Member 10/10 100/100 This film is a legendary work. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/30/24 Full Review Arid S This will mess with your mind heavily, not for the faint hearted, one of the best films out there for people who wish to take themselfes to the next level when it comes to psychological thrillers. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/22/24 Full Review Jaydin R This is an incredibly intelligent movie that I think paved the way for future artists and the psychological horror genre as a whole. Underneath the conspiratorial ideas and real world connections that do actually heighten the movie in certain ways - there is an incredibly good story about a man being swayed different directions of demons and angels. The struggles Jacob faces, and the way the story goes makes this movie an amazing character study. I could write a whole 6 page essay about this movie, but for the sake of not going on too long about this review, I truly consider this movie as a masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/08/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Jacob's Ladder

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) 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 (Elizabeth Peña), and ex-wife, Sarah (Patricia Kalember), try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis (Danny Aiello), fails to reach him as he descends into madness.
Director
Adrian Lyne
Producer
Alan Marshall
Screenwriter
Bruce Joel Rubin
Distributor
Image Entertainment Inc., TriStar Pictures
Production Co
Carolco Pictures Inc.
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 2, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.8M
Runtime
1h 53m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR
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