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Jacob's Ladder
(****)
"Jacob's Ladder" is a nightmare. This is not a pleasant film. However, it is a brilliantly crafted nightmare in which Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is being pursued by…demons? The U.S. Government?
It's the "who" that we don't know. For that matter, it's the "who" that Jacob would like to know. Ever since the Vietnam war, Jacob has been living in a world spinning more and more out of control. Between the memories of his son's death and his wartime memories, Jacob is slowly losing his touch with reality. And throughout all of this, we feel our feet lose the bottom as well.
Nobody knows, understands, or even believes him. His war buddies seem to be going through the same thing. But when they bring it to a lawyer, his friends seem to back out. Who got to them? One of his friends is blown up in a car, and even his sympathetic doctor is killed in the same manner.
I'm familiar with Adrian Lyne's work, and his previous film, "Fatal Attraction" struck me as a successful failure. The tone was all perfect, but something kept striking hollow. Not true here. Every moment in Jacob's twisted reality we feel ourselves slowly and helplessly falling away from our touch with reality right alongside him.
The show belongs to Tim Robbins here. Again, he shows us that he's a capable actor and is perfect as an everyman; we see him, know him, and can sympathize with him. Also, Danny Aiello again gives us a glimpse at his talent that we saw in his previous film "Do the Right Thing". Here, Aiello plays a friend and chiropractor to Jacob Singer; and he also seems to be the only person who Jacob can trust. His wife has thrown him out in exasperation, his girlfriend is angered at his seemingly lethargic nature, and the whole world seems to be inhabited by demons.
But it's Aiello who gives Jacob the soundest piece of advice. That is, demons can be angels if you're not obsessed with hanging on to the living world. Taken in context with the final scenes, this is given some credence.
I state again; this is not a pleasant experience. Too often people equate bad movies with unpleasant experiences. In this case, I can adequately do the same. It's like getting a root canal. Sure, it may hurt like hell. But you need it done sometime.