Synopsis
The movie Jacob’s Ladder (1990) is a psychological horror film directed by Adrian Lyne. It follows Jacob, a Vietnam veteran who starts experiencing fragmented visions and hallucinations that make him question his own sanity.
The movie Jacob’s Ladder (1990) opens with Jacob Singer, played by Tim Robbins, being rushed on a stretcher through a hellish scene of chaos and carnage. The story then flashes back to Jacob living in 1970s New York and slowly losing his grip on reality. He starts having bizarre demonic visions and is unable to tell waking life from nightmares.
As The movie Jacob’s Ladder (1990) progresses, Jacob’s world unravels through a series of surreal, non-linear scenes. He rides the subway and sees a monster attacking another passenger. At a party, a woman’s face transforms into a charred skull. Hospital hallways and doctors begin taking on a sinister tone. All while the casualties from his Vietnam unit keep mysteriously dying one after another.
The movie Jacob’s Ladder (1990) keeps the audience guessing along with Jacob about what is real versus his tortured hallucinations. It is eventually revealed that Jacob was in fact killed in Vietnam. His mind created this purgatorial nightmare state as a way to cope with and pass on from the trauma of war and death.
Cast
- Tim Robbins as Jacob Singer
- Elizabeth Peña as Jezzie Pipkin
- Danny Aiello as Dr. Louis
- Matt Craven as Michael Newman
- Pruitt Taylor Vince as Paul
Trivia
– The movie Jacob’s Ladder (1990) had a budget of $25 million.
– It drew inspiration from the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
– Director Adrian Lyne called it the most difficult film he ever made.
– The original script for Jacob’s Ladder sat in development hell for years.
– Tim Robbins almost turned down the demanding lead role.
Reviews
The Movie Buff
The New York Times
Citations
[1] IMDb
[2] Wikipedia
[3] Rotten Tomatoes
Anonymous on October 29, 2023