36. Jacob’s Ladder

Scary, memorable, and affecting.

Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a Vietnam veteran who holds a job in a New York City post office. On top of his youngest child being killed and his wife divorcing him, things haven't been going well for Jacob, now living with his girlfriend Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña). All his depression and fear seems to take on a life of its own externally when Jacob begins seeing faceless demons hidden among strangers, making him unsure if what he's seeing is real or in his mind. As he tries to sort this out and find cohesion in a world falling apart all around him, only his friend Louis (Danny Aiello) seems to be making any sense. The downward spiral continues until Jacob hits the bottom of the ladder, and the audience gets pulled down right along with him.

Many describe Jacob’s Ladder as a stylized rip-off of the infamous Ambrose Bierce short story, "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge," but this isn't fair or even precisely correct. The character of Jacob is in a battle for his very soul, perhaps figuratively and/or literally, and he must find a way to save it while escaping the trappings of his own mind trying to make sense of it all. Jacob's world is intentionally disturbing, but the reasons why are small compared to what we see going on behind Jacob’s eyes. One key piece of information is held until very end of the film (along with an unfortunately unnecessary explanation), but this so-called twist merely lets everyone who were still left clinging to one or two clever (and possibly overdeveloped) red herrings off the hook. Conspiracy theories, chemical warfare, and everything supernatural are all suspect and equally played out.

Tim Robbins is tasked with convincing audiences that his mental unbalance as Jacob is real, and his performance sells the film more than anything. Here’s a character that   wants to be left alone, to be as normal as anyone, but slowly learns and accepts that he cannot be. Danny Aiello plays an important part as confidant and guide, while Elizabeth Peña spends a lot of time naked (so we know what on Jacob’s mind). There are plenty of other actors in smaller parts soon to be better known later, an indication of just how strong a supporting cast really went into this production.

The most noticeable flaw in Jacob’s Ladder stems from too much background; audiences don’t seem to enjoy too much thought going into things that essentially aren’t important to the film they’re watching, especially when viewers are made to feel stupid for expecting what comes next instead of feeling surprised. With a little patience and open-mindedness, however, it becomes clear that the impact of Jacob’s life is more important with every detail revealed. Instead of a fictionalized documentary of the inhumanity of war, Jacob’s Ladder reminds us that there are few demons more terrifying than the ones we create for ourselves. (Kevin A. Ranson)