Why JACOB'S LADDER Nearly Broke Me
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Jacob's Ladder is a 1990 American psychological horror film directed by Adrian Lyne, starring Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, and Danny Aiello. In the film, Jacob Singer's experiences before and during his service in Vietnam result in strange, fragmentary visions and bizarre hallucinations that continue to haunt him. As his ordeal worsens, Jacob desperately attempts to figure out the truth.
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If the film was called Dante's inferno, then it would make much more sense if it followed Jacob, as you suggested, having his earthly sins burnt away as he travels through different layers of hell, possibly represented by people in his life/hallucinations. The reason I say this is that Inferno is only part one of three in the divine comedy and entirely focusses on hell, while part 2 focusses on purgatory.
at Anti social fish 42 -
in one of the layers / circles of Hell - Hes married to a woman and has alive but Jezabel is not the woman hes married too and she is just a woman that works at the post office.. but when he sleeps in this reality , he is in a relationship with Jezabel..theres a whole entire world and reality..
so its definitely layers of reality / circles of hell , its not a on or off, black and white kinda deal , theres..alive , dead and even layer in between the dreams and hallucinations of jacob.
Yeah but "Jacob's Ladder" sounds similar to that, because he is ascending/descending the ladder as he progresses, and it gets worse.
@@orangehaze74 Biblically, Jacob's ladder refers to a giant ladder that angels use to return to heaven after their jobs on earth are complete. So the original intention with Dante's inferno and Jacob getting his sins burnt away in his hallucinations before he uses the titular ladder to ascend into heaven.
@@RegalFrog42 So... the purgatory?
@@orangehaze74 Dante's inferno is part one of the divine comedy, in part two he goes through Mount Purgatory, and in part three travels through heaven. Obviously Jacob's ladder isn't a direct adaptation of the source material, and judging by the original proposed title it only deals with hell. Since the film is a one off and no sequels were planned, this gives the filmmakers creative liberty to end it how they want, meaning they could completely ignore purgatory and send him straight to heaven for satisfactory narrative closure. There is the possibility that Jacob's ladder does deal with purgatory, but I don't know much about the second part of the divine comedy so I can't really comment on that (though it seems unlikely given that that would create a cluttered narrative). I hope this helps explain my point. :)
*Fun fact:* This was one of the films that inspired the original silent hill series. This film was a favorite of Akihiro Imamura.
Correct. And the film itself was based on an ancient book called "Bardo Thodol" or "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" which describes what every soul must go through to reach the afterlife. That implies that every character you play in any of the Silent Hill games is actually dead.
I felt like the plot could have done more but the imagery is absolutely mesmerizing yet horrifying.
@@ComaLies225 hey. That’s exactly how I was left feeling after I watched it.
@@Ricardo-cl3vs Only Silent Hill 2 and 4, which are reflections of the main character's psyche and journey to overcome their grief and sin. 1 and 3 are based off an entirely different set of circumstances centered around a dark god and a cult.
@@AParticularlyConcernedCitizen Jacob's Ladder's influence is present in all silent hills, just in different forms. Silent Hill 3 has literally a similar metro level, with the character having to dodge an upcoming train in a tunnel, after having wandered in an empty metro station, just like in the movie. You can also see a lot of the "head shaking demons" in silent hill 3's valtiel. The hospital gore with grids and blood imagery is also very present in SH1 and SH3.
I love how Jacob pops in and out of death throughout the film. The viewer thinks he's having war flashbacks when he's actually back to life.
sure they arent just showing shit out of order because that doesnt make any fuckin sense at all lmao
Totally: the only “real world” sequences the audience gets is the attack on the platoon and the subsequent rescue to the medical tent. The rest is his made up “reality” that’s falling apart OR that one memory of tucking Gabe to sleep and going back to Sara.
I sure did think he was having war flashbacks until the ending...he was actually dying slowly in his bad trip then turned out good in the end.... it's sad and could've happened in real life
No. Not really "back to life", he's dead. He's dead from the moment he was stabbed in Vietnam. The "good" parts are flashbacks, at least as much as the bad parts. I suppose you could call them "visions", or visitation by angels. But they're not "real life". I do love how they switch it around in the end, and he's going upstairs with his son towards the light, presumably to Heaven. Probably at the same time this is a good plot twist, you can say it's flaw is that this isn't entirely clear, it lacks some explanation.
@@squirlmy Dude you are wrong and need to rewatch the movie. Every time he has a "falshback" to Vietnam , he has come back to life for a moment (such as the scene where he see a spider web and water is dripping on him, he see officers looking for him and the rest of the platoon that the experiment was conducted). He'll then fall back into death where he's met with this demonic altered reality. The more he becomes comfortable with the fact he is dying and at times dead, the more he begins to see his real wife and lastly his son who finishes guiding him into total dead. That when his toe is finally tagged. While he's dead he does get clues as to why he was killed and will also have actual memories of the battle and being stabbed. The beginning of the movie is in real time and he dies immediately after being stuck with the bayonet. That's when he starts experiencing a type of purgatory or the dichotomy between life and death and heaven and hell.
I saw this movie for the first time when I was about 12 years old... scared the ever living shit outa me. When I saw it again in college, the idea that the devils in your life are really angels, trying to strip away all that is unnecessary in your life so that you can move on to a better place, struck me as a rather beautiful notion... and it still does to this day.
Ooo i like that
Amen! In full agreement 👌
Sounds like hollywoods masonic satanic doctrines messed yo mind up bad. Im truly sincere in sayin im sorry to hear that. Hollywoods main job is to twist n pervert scripture. And they get results, just like your comment.
@@majinblood6133 scripture is fake so
@@majinblood6133 Well said!!! Its tragic how people soak up hollywood scripture but will deny and spit upon the real thing.
The worst take I ever saw on Jacob's Ladder was some critic saying it was a good story, but ruined by all the Vietnam flashbacks. I wished I could have explained how horribly wrong he got the movie.
One critic said it was pretentious
@@SamuelBlack84 sounds like the critic is
@@UC4AQUgrQ9EwVIGoF0w7xHXg I couldn't care less what some nobody thinks about a film I like, all that matters is that I like it
Look up on here the Siskel and Ebert review and watch how Ebert makes Siskel’s take on the movie look stupid.
@@SamuelBlack84 i always feel the need to correct them when they’re that wrong lol
Jacob wasn’t the only man killed in the unit. I think all of the men he met from his old unit were also dying and struggling to hang on. Somehow they just happened to bump into each other on their journey to the afterlife.
1:45 Does that red car seem too "young" to have been there BEFORE the Vietnam War, when the kid got killed??
Why did he go in the first place? He didn't HAVE to if he was married w kids, right?
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823it seems like he got divorced before getting drafted
I AGREE WITH YOU
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 I think he was an older officer so it might not have been that uncommon.
Louie is his guardian angel. Jacob even says to him “Did I ever tell you that you look like an angel? An oversized cherub?” To which Louie replies, “Every time you see me.”
Nonsense! The film is about a mortally wounded US soldier in Vietnam. These things that are happening in the movie are what is going through the poor saps head as he is dying.
@@chiricahuaapache5132 though to be fair, you dont know if somewhat of an angel comes to you while you pass away, perhaps he already experienced some of these moments, thats why louie tells him ''every time''
@@chiricahuaapache5132 no shit.
I thought louie was supposed to be lucifer.
@@JAMMY174 no, it’s quite possible that Louie represents the Archangel Michael who in principle carried the sword of righteousness who slayed the dragon likened to the destruction of our inner demons (Jacob’s inner demons are represented by Jezebel the girl from the post office, he even calls her a HEATHEN, as well as his attachment to his old life and especially his dead son).
Michael the Archangel can also be called upon for emotional and psychological protection to help one in times of conflict with others or called upon to protect one against psychological attack.
Louie is the one who helps keep Jacob out of hell. When Jacob gets thrown out of the car and robbed by Santa he winds up in that horrible hospital where the faceless doctor shoves the needle in his head. He’s left laying helplessly in bed until Louie comes and gets him out. The nurses and orderlies try to stop them from leaving but Louie picks up a crutch and keeps them at bay with his “sword” while he gets Jacob out of bed saying, “What is this? The Middle Ages? And they call this ‘modern medicine?’ This is barbaric. BARBARIC!”
Louie then takes Jacob back to his office where under the light of heaven he fixes Jacobs’s slipped disc. Jacob even says, “Am I dead Louie? I was in hell. I don’t want to die Louie.” To which Louie replies, “I’ll see what I can do about it.” Jacob then comments about how hell is “all pain.” Now this is where the most significant sign comes that makes it undeniable that Louie is his guardian angel. Besides the part where Jacob straight up tells him he looks like an angel of course. Louie asks if he’s ever read Meister Eckhart before quoting him saying, “Eckhart said, ‘The only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won’t let go of your life: your memories, your attachments. You burn them all away. But they’re not punishing you’ he said. ‘They’re freeing your soul.’ So the way he sees it, if you’re frightened of dying and then you’re holding on you’ll see devils tearing your life away. But if you’ve made your peace then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth. It’s just a matter of how you look at it that’s all.”
It’s Louie that not only takes him out of hell but gives him the most powerful tool of all: knowledge. Jacob had been holding on to his life, his temptations (represented by Jezebel), and the death of his son; and it was ripping his soul apart. Once he was able to let go it was the very thing that was tearing his soul apart that eventually saves it. His boy. it’s his son that leads him into the light.
Having been in the Army, I went to any movie that had that theme of Vietnam in the 80s' and 90s' (Platoon, Apocolypse now, etc), and when I saw it the first time it made me think of that story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" where a man believes he had escaped a hanging, only to find he never left. You did understand by the end that Jacob was freeing himself from the earth, but it wasn't until the final scene where you saw that the whole movie had all occurred in the last minutes of his life.
Wow ! Yes you are right.
It also reminds me of a movie called "Scenic Route". A buddy trip movie .. i won't give up any spoilers because it's a great movie.
Finally! You are the only other person I've ever seen who made the Owl Creek Bridge connection... I read that story in high school not long before seeing this movie and I thought it's what inspired the movie.
@@Mark-db1ok it did
You nailed it . That's what I was thinking after watching it. Thanks for confirming
This movie breaks me everytime I see it. Jacob isn't a perfect man but damn do I feel like hugging him in every scene. He's a broken man still clinging to life, afraid to die like many of us. The whole film is him in purgatory. The nightmare scenes are definitely something and on another level, the scene of him being taken through the hospital still gives me chills. It's not a perfect movie but it is for me and will always be one of my favorites. Tim Robbins deserved an award for his acting in this film.
If Tim Robbins deserves that much then what does the writers and creators deserve? Heaven?
Yeah it's just too bad that this year some dude decided to start writing with his foot, so everybody else was pretty much screwed after that, award wise
If you haven't seen them yet, see the deleted scenes from this movie, oh my god. If there was a director cut for this film I would pay an arm and a leg for it, because those cut scenes are genuinely terrifying.
You are right. The cut scenes are creepy and powerful. I've been waiting ever since the 90's for a director's cut to come out.
The closest I've come is putting together a sort of director's cut myself, by splicing the cut scenes into the movie, where the script tells you where they belonged. Unfortunately, I did this on video tape back in the day, and have no way of transferring it digitally.
@@morlockmeat we got the snyder cut you never know man
@@johnlawful2272 - After a couple decades, one can only hope. Ha! I’m still waiting.
I loved this movie, tragic story with an amazing performance by Robbins. I remember watching the deleted scenes and asking why the hell they were cut? I seem to remember it was test audience reactions over it being too intense but watching the film now the ending in particular seems abrupt with no real climax.
I recommend this movie to anyone that will listen. So many moments that stand out, the scene of him waking in the bath is heartbreaking.
@@jekw23 - Agreed. And I don't know why they haven't released a director's cut with the extra scenes yet. Don't have to worry about test audiences now.
This movie scared the crap out of me as a kid. Great stuff.
Me too! I watched it when it came out on video when I was 13. I think it was the first psychological horror movie I actually kinda understood. Plus, the man with the shaking/vibrating head really freaked me out too!
at Reckless eating -
we rented this movie in 1991atthe movie rental place , i was 10 going on 11 years old that year..
same thing here this movie scared the crap of me as a kid, it scared me so much , that only now 30 years later am i going back to explore jacob's later and see other people in the world try to explain the movie to me. to get me to be less scared of the movie and less scared of death...10 year olds dont need to be scared of death we had our whole lives in from of us, but now i am 41 years old, so i am looking at this really really scary old movie trying to get through it
This movie scares the crap out of me as an adult.
at SIM
it also scared /scares the crap out of me as a adult as well.
@@TheNecropolis20 Dude, it can't be scary anymore. Once you see macaulay culkin in the photo or Jason Alexander (I hear the bass guitar thumping from Seinfeld). Ving Rhames. All of those pop culture references would have to not exist to have the same level of intensity as the original release. Even the title actor went on to do comedy.
As a first responder, I always thought it was describing a time refered to as" the golden hour," which is the time a person who has been critically injured gets emergency treatment/ surgery is about an hour. after that their chance of survival rapidly decreases. This was discovered during the Vietnam war.
When the army surgeon said he put up a hell of a fight nailed it for me.
Yesssss!!!!
This is very similar to my personal pet theory, only you've kind of improved it. I've always thought the ups-and-downs, terror followed by calm circle mirrored the actual experiences of his body with his brain trying to frame it into a meaningful whole. You get a patient in critical state, stabilise them (calm) then they drop again (oh shit!) and you re-stabilise over and over. The brain is telling its own version of events as it tries to keep up, so is reacting in an almost dream-like state as it keeps trying to knit reality together, cos that's all "reality" is, the perception and story created by our brain. And, just like dreams, time is distorted. Then it all finally ends with the NDE trope of immense calm as you walk into the light.
I'm sure others have similar thoughts but I've not seen someone say this before. I award you the highly coveted RHBlob Award for Cinematic Critique ;-)
And thank you for your work as a 1stR. I have a couple of friends who are paramedics and I genuinely don't know how you guys can maintain in such an insane environment where it can all pop off in a nano-second. The stress would just do me in. You're all amazing.
Wouldn't putting someone in ice like that kill them? Shock?
my dad was a surgeon in Vietnam and spoke of this phenomena
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823yep, thats definitely just a hallucination and never actually happened just like every interaction that involves Jezebel
I think of this movie every time im going through a crisis. Makes me question my existence
I do too. But for me, it makes me question what am I at risk of losing in this crisis, and could my life potentially be better off with out it? And if my life might be better off after the fact, why am I struggling so hard to prevent that from happening?
Seems like a lot what to simplify existence down to tasks, objectives and accomplishments in life- while religion like Christianity boils it down to experience and having a relationship with your creator where existence changes significantly. Even if others disagree with the fact that humans come from God, then much changes as to who we are let alone our very purpose….. and yet so many fail to give an explanation to replace what they are taking away…..
There’s alot here to think about for sure…..
@@nunyabizness6734 Because people struggle with or hate change. Change brings a lot of uncertainty and that which causes stress, drama or problems. Also not to mention we lose control when change is brought into the picture
@@daydreamdirty Is it not possible, however, that there is no purpose outside of our base biological directives and that the experience of being alive only holds as much value as we put on it as individuals?
Are we already dead?
The game Silent Hill 2 was heavily inspired by this movie and both are amazing pieces of work. Keep up the good work
The beginning of SH homecoming when he was in the hospital was damn near exactly the same
The similarities are worn on the sleeve for sure. Very derivative in the BEST way.
The whole franchise! Not just SH2 💛
@@drogon1644 Fer sure. SH3 is the dead ringer for me when comparing.
Similarities of both run from the nape of the asshole to the… nape of the balls to the… nape of the genitalia
It's TRUE. I was 13 when I saw this and in my mid 40's this still shows up in my head. The letting go part. This is a true classic.
Such an incredible disturbing story. I didn't know that there was a remake but I don't see how modern Hollywood could tell it better. The 90s were a better age for movies and music too. A better time for art in general. Everything is wrapped in plastic now.
They dont make them like they used too :(
2010s also had a ton of movies as psychologically poignant as this movies. Currently, I'm watching classic movies and everytime I turned back to modern movies and carefully choose the great ones, they never disappoint. Same thing with music albums. 2010s is in my opinion still an overall great decade for music, film, and tv shows. Maybe because I'm still young and pretty explorative, but again, art is subjective, yet why the generalisation tho? Every decades has it's fair share of trash and great stuffs, so nah, I highly disagree to your take. You may want to watch "Get Out" or "Hereditary" because they're really really good. There are others I bet you, but again, try exploring more!
The director of Joker said it best: If it isn't a superhero movie, it won't get made.
to true...wrapped in plastic and sanitized with bleach. Everybody is to concerned with being PC and not getting cancelled. Artists are rebels, critics and commentators on society. The powerful don't like that. They want conformity.
@@filmcomicsexplained Can you please do a "Flatliners" vid? Also, the "inability to let go" theme here, w jakob reminds me of the hell experienced by Robin Williams' characters wife, after her suicide, in "What Dreams May Come"
Another clue, is that Jacob is reading Albert Camus The Stranger in the subway carriage, the protagonist of that novel is a man whose dammed for being 'detached from humanity' sentenced to die and struggles to come to terms with his impending death till finally accepting it at the end.
The poster on the train....that says "This is Hell"....or something along these lines.....I didn't notice it until the 2nd time I watched the movie
There's a twisted irony to including Camus there, because in a way it almost shows how Jacob believes himself to be detached - only to be trapped in hell/purgatory because of the attachments he still has. The thing about "The Stranger" is that the entire book twists interpretations of the world into utter meaninglessness, which is totally believable for a veteran to cope with his PTSD. Good eye on that detail!
This movie... I tried to watch it a second time, and was disallowed by my lizard brain. This is one of the finest explorations of horror, insanity, and war ever committed to film
Right? I have a similar feeling, one of the best movies that I don't think I'll ever be able to see again
This is quite the surreal psychological Horror Thriller film from Adrian Lynne. It's pretty impressive and terrifying! The scene where Jacob dances with his girlfriend and then turns into a Demon was on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments
it's even more surreal when you realise that this is the same filmmaker that made movies such as Flashdance and the Lolita remake
Finally, another person that remembers Bravo’s 100 scariest movie moments
That scene is definitely up there for most disturbing ever.
@@fluxcapacitor21 I’m just happy people remember Bravo I’m general lol
There's a wonderful lovemaking scene in this film where Jacob and his woman are making love. It's highly erotic and beautiful to watch. Oh. Ooooohhh yes .... Oooooooooohhhhhh ...... Mmmmmnnnn, it's absolutely sublime.
The entire movie took place in the space of a single heartbeat, he died on the table in 'nam.
Like Lost Highway, Jacob's Ladder shares its premise with the short story The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.
It takes place from when he was first stabbed in the jungle, he passed out and wakes up sees a spider, to the table, the surgeon said he was a hell of a fighter, so I'd guess he actually lived for about an hour or maybe even 2 hours, the length of the film
This was one of those films that make the audience question their own realities. The author (and professor), Bruce Joel Rubin, has traveled extensively around the world, studying various religions and beliefs. He wrote "Ghost", but the movie made it more commercial and romantic than his original screenplay, which, like Jacob's Ladder, dealt more with learning about what to do after you die. He also wrote "Brainstorm", which also was about exploring death. Rubin is a fascinating man. I would love to sit and have a good long conversation with him.
If you live every minute of everyday the best you can, you've lived your life without regret. Do that; you will have no need to talk with him. Any conversation with him will always lead to that one simple thought. Nothing to let go of if you let it all go while you are alive. I mean, what is there to reckon with if you did all that _could_ do? Just saying.
@@danielduncan6806 - I simply thought he'd be a fascinating individual to have a conversation with. That's all.
@@danielduncan6806 You’ve led with a bunch of platitudes without really explaining anything.
The reason people should converse is the same reason neurons are designed to seek out active networks. People find purpose in the gaps of knowledge found in society. Neurons are only aware of their little bit of the COMMUNity, and it takes COMMUNication to determine ones own relevance and role in the greater scheme of things.
Neurons literally have to be part of a community and fulfill a role to receive nourishment, lest they perish. This is the basis behind neuroplasticity. This is why an amputee that loses an arm will eventually begin feeling sensations in a non-existent hand when something touches their cheek. The neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex associated with the now missing hand no longer receive any signals. So they literally have to migrate and “learn to code” by attaching to the neighboring neurons responsible for sensations in the cheek.
Society has much to learn about building a society, and the brain has most of those answers after billions of years of trial and error. Nature has even figured out motors BILLIONS of years before humanity was even the twinkle in the eye of natural selection.
So, when you give your nebulous platitudes, remember that people have roles to fill, and they’ll never figure out what those roles are without communicating with one another.
Even your comment serves a purpose of creating a contrast between useful communication and useless communication. 😂 The “good” is only defined by the existence of the “bad” after all. Existence is defined by non-existence. It is impossible to have something without the opposite of that thing.
Cheers 🍻
@@morlockmeat Every conversation can be fascinating. The trick is to not presume to know everything and assume you have something to prove.
I’ve been arrogant most of my life, and things were kept from me (the Universe, Fate, Karma, God; I’m agnostic currently, so I can’t say which) because of that arrogance. After I learned to embrace criticism, many doors were opened before me.
All I can really say is how important it is to keep BOTH eyes open despite preconceived notions. Each eye only leads to two conflicting TWO-dimensional spatial understandings of the world. It is the reconciliation of two DIFFERENT two-dimensional knowledge that leads to a THREE-dimensional spatial understanding of the world.
Arguing between two differing viewpoints is tantamount to arguing over which eye to close. The harder you argue for one idea over another the more you lose the ability to reconcile different ideas into a higher dimension of understanding. It is tantamount to closing one eye that, no matter which eye it was, you will ALWAYS lose a dimension of understanding.
So, I support your desire to speak to people you find interesting and that you might learn from, but I also want you to understand that talking to those you believe you can’t learn anything from might just surprise you.
Cheers 🍻
Ģģ
One of those rare movies that crosses 4 genres but executed brilliantly. Writing directions cinematography. All on point.
I vote for the costuming. Brilliant. Not complicated, tho. Very much like Pink Floyd, The Wall (movie)
"Dream on." That moment got me the most.
I don't think those scenes with his family were the real world at all, but that which he couldn't let go.
I'm bothered by the kid that died before he went to Vietnam. I assume he was married. Why would a guy go to war with a family/kids at home?
Surprised he wasn't bothered by the head at the party in the fridge. Too. Lol
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 I would assume he was drafted, it's the vietnam war.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823The vietnam war had mandatory service for a lot of people.
Scared the life out of me when I was a child, especially when the vehicle speeds by and the silent hill type monsters look at him through the window
These might actually be from Pink Floyd the Wall in 1982.
I’m surprised that no one has commented on the influence of Ambrose Bierce. His story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is amazing.
This is a fantastic psychological thriller. It really affected me when I first saw it. A real trip into the mental abyss of drugs/war/post traumatic stress.
Furthermore, Elizabeth Peña was so beautiful in this movie. RIP
It really affected me to, although I can't face watching the film again!
Sad she died of cirrhosis. It's a horrible way to die. I've seen it.
Beautiful is putting it mildly. RIP🌹
The end scene always made me feel the movie was a description of what it would be like to be on a powerful hallucinogen while also being on deaths door. Makes for a pretty bad trip I would imagine.
yes!!! i thought so too! when the man explained the experiment at the end it made so much more sense
This movie is a masterpiece, the remake however isnt even close
Thanks for the warning on the remake. Looks like I'm not missing much.
There's a remake?
Honestly I just liked the ending of the remake that anything to forget line really hit hard bruh and I never saw the ending of the original
Strongly agreed
This is news to me. I thought since this is a great movie it would have publicised a remake
A very underrated movie, he should of won an Oscar for his part imo
Do you know who actually won that year?
@@lucasoheyze4597do you?
Yeah this was a bad year for that, as Daniel Day Lewis decided to learn how to write with his foot that year
This was quite possibly THE most disturbing, amazing, emotional, horrifying movie I’ve ever seen. Jesus it was brilliantly done. Heavy. Heavy heavy production. Whew. 😱🤩🥺👏👏👏👏👏
One of my all time favourite movies, such a beautifully haunting movie that can make you scared and emotional. The scene where he is in the hospital and he sees his wife but the voice goes “in your dreams” made me cry. Such an underrated gem of a movie.
I remember when he got together with his army mates and talked about the nightmares they were having. It was a relieving scene , because it showed he wasn't alone with all this. But then you have that scene where he is taking to one of those army mates and the army mate hangs up, and it shows he is in a room together with the other ones, and they're all on some kind of scheme against Jacob, but we can't figure out what. Chilling.
Plus the fact that this never actually happened, I think all his mates abandoning him for an unexplained reason is a representation of purgatory, he can't move forward or understand why, he is stuck now
The intro is not even over and I already know I’m going to regret learning about this one.
I saw this movie for the first time a couple years ago and it just blew me away. I don't think I've ever seen a horror film run the gamut from terror to sadness in such a powerful fashion. Not to mention the way they managed to perfectly balance realism and surrealism, I honestly didn't understand the 'purgatory' aspect until the very ending scene and had no idea what was going on the whole time until it all just suddenly fell into place at the end. Incredible film.
This movie SCARED the shit out of me in the early 90s it took me two weeks to get over it, now after 30 years I completely understand the spiritual significance of this film, very deep deep story
this movie so terrified me - however its ending scene with his lost son taking him by his hand and up to heaven made me weep - it was that cathartic after the terror
So underrated and can't put into short enough words what this movie did for me, at the time, on so many levels, the biblical references, the imagery, overall plot, acting omg, adore the cast, so many familiar faces, an all time favorite for me.
"Making it one of those rare films that will linger in your mind like a splinter long after its finished"
This final closing really struck me. I was between 8 to 10 years old when I saw Jacob's Ladder. I just saw a McCauley Culkin movie and wanted to see it. I wasn't prepared for the nightmare. To be honest, I never understood it or even really knew what the movie was about nor could I even recall the title. But something about the movie always stayed with me throughout my life. It wasn't until I rediscovered this movie in my late 30's that I understood why it was so disturbing to me. I remember my child mind being terrified of not knowing what was real and after rewatching it, that dark tone of dread, unease and uncertainty came flooding back. This movie was masterfully crafted and the psychological terror it provokes for control freaks like me, it struck all the right nerves to help me empathise with the character. 10 / 10
I took LSD and watched this movie alone when I was 18. I had to take a break and go for a walk an hour in because it was f'n intense. When I returned from my walk there were plastic pink flamingos all over my yard. About 5 years later I found out it was an ex and her friends pranking me. Pretty good timing really.
In all seriousness though, it's an outstanding movie that moved me deeply and stuck with me for many years. I love the hazy warm look it had, like a lot movies from that time period.
Literally my favorite movie of all time. Ironically while my dad laid dying in his deathbed a explained the meaning of demons vs. Angels freeing you. He passed about 30 seconds later
Jesus. I never knew how intense the testing was back then. And they wonder why so many veterans end up broken and homeless or in prison.
I was thinking the same
What about the testing now with the EUA trump jabs? Lol wake up
Hey, never join the army. Wars are not fought for defence of the realm but for profit. Certain people have made colossal fortunes from every war dating back at least to World War One. (WWII is the exception, Hitler and Hirohito had to be stopped). They become as rich as emperors while the soldiers that went on the front line get nothing, apart from the annual Cenotaph ceremony where our glorious queen mimes giving a fuck for five minutes. Here in the UK we house our servicemen in accommodation that is actually so shoddy it wouldn't even be rented out to students. We have to have various charities for ex-servicemen because they are offered zero support after they leave the forces. Thanks to ten plus years of the Conservatives running the country numbers of homeless people have skyrocketed - and ex-soldiers make up an obscenely mis-proportionally large chunk of that number.
Never join the army folks. You can serve your country just as well by qualifying as a teacher or a nurse or a doctor (funnily enough these professions are also underfunded by the Conservative government). Social workers and probation officers serve their country by carrying out an essential role (funding cut to nothing by guess who).
Never, never join the army. Your body and your life are your own, and no person or agency in this world has higher sovereignty over you than you yourself.
You'd be amazed at what they're doing today then.
@@nobbynoris I agree with everything you say, but for the conservatives stuff. Maybe because I am in a different country. In America, it is the same as far as people declaring that conservatives are ruining everything, or democrats are ruining everything.... but I am pretty sure it does not matter if it's conservatives or democrats, they are going to take from the poor and give to the corporate elite. In my view (at least in America) we need a populist movement. The establishment is only good for one thing, and that is to please those who already have it all. Don't go to war. Absolutely not. But no mater if they are conservative or democrat, they are looking for one thing. And that thing is to control the poor.
I saw this movie when I was 19 and it was way over my head but at 50 now I realize the genius storytelling of this movie. Although, I did understand some of the concepts back then. Love your deep dive of it.
God i love Danny Aiello, just a great roll.....when he rescues Jacob is beutiful, when he speaks to Jacob, he is his Guardian Angel. Love and fear this movie
His presence is so comforting in this film. Great actor, brilliant script and fine performance all round!
@@filmcomicsexplained so very true
I love and fear this movie also. I can't put into words what it has made me feel. I will never forget it. Or forget the ways that it made me feel from, seemingly, deep inside my soul. Haunting. Haunting.
It also broke me, I was recommended this film and after watching it I wasn’t impressed as I had accidentally watched the remake instead of the original
Ashy!!!!! Keep hitting those high zombies rounds!
Mmhm if the exorcist could'nt break me this wouldn't
Even A Serbian Film didn't - and I'm aware that's not up to the cinenematic standard of The Exorcist or Jacob's Ladder- js
I guess having a strong ego protects you from damage
I think the most unsettling film I've watched is Rosemary's Baby- not coincidentally, it's also one my Top 5 favourite movies of all time.
I laughed through the whole thing.
Jacobs Ladder was one of the scariest thought provoking movies I ever saw as a child. Looking thru the comments it seems that alot of us who saw this movie as a pre teen in the ninties remember it fondly.
9:03 one twisted little detail in this film.. his body in the car that is on fire is still moving, you can see his arm has grabbed the frame of the car. Like he's still alive but burning in hell.
This film has a lot of little details that will really get to you if you look closely. It's fantastic.
Man, I didn't want this video to end I was just so captivated by your explanations and voice, keep up the awesome work!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I first saw this movie when I was about 13, and even though I recognized it was a great film, I really didn't understand it. Later, a much older friend of mine explained it to me, utterly blowing my mind in the process.
I've rewatched it several times since, and it's one of my all-time favorite films. It's also hugely underrated in my opinion.
I remember being quite moved by the final scenes, and by Tim Robbins' performance. And Macaulay Culkin was great in his role too. An impressive film. Really need to revisit this one, having not seen it since the theater.
Tim Robbins never disappoints. Great story teller.
I would love to see your take on Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions. That movie always stuck with me I was probably to young to see it.
Adding it to the list now!
Your Channel is the best!
Also the Movie Barton Fink by the Cohen Brothers would be awesome.
Awesome, I'm so excited for that. Your videos are the best.
@@foscojenkins6877 why do you say that?
You have provided an eye-opening interpretation of this movie. I saw it in a theater when it came out, and I thought it was a reinterpretation of an old Ambrose Bierce short story I had to read and analyze in high school years back, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". Now nearly 35 years after the film and nearly 50 since high school, I'm gonna have to dig a bit into what you have presented.
Twilight Zone did an adaptation of "Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge." Pretty darned good, it was actually the only episode that was produced independently and acquired, rather than produced by Serling.
Best Acting of Tim Robbins. Also the screenplay is perfect too.. A True timeless masterpiece.
I adore movies that explore the horrors of war through a creative lens like this. Another of my favorites of this type is "Johnny Got His Gun". A very chilling movie about a boy who ends up essentially locked in his mind, unable to communicate with those around him. Metallica's "One" is based on the film, and the music video even uses clips from the movie.
i was shocked when you mentioned kings park jacobs ladder because that was my first thought too! good to see a perth youtuber doing so well man, youre a perthonality now!!
Legend!
Thank you for covering this classic film. As an Army Veteran who fought in OIF/OEF and suffers through PTSD, I relate to this 1990's film!
You can see the DNA of some of the Hellraiser films from this movie. Such as Inferno, Hellseeker and deader. I watched this in media studies before covid struck.
Absolutely!
Deleted scenes definitely scream Hellraiser
NIN vids, as well
Try Pink.Floyd the Wall Movie from 1983. You'll see these monsters.
one of my enduring favorites, it operates successfully on multiple levels and culminates into a cohesive denouement.
Frightening, liberating, thoughtful & informative; mysteries intact but also laid bare.
Thank you for the essential run though of this special journey of a film, your appreciation is apparent.
Noticed you stepped over the novella Jacob has in his hands on the subway as he "wakes up": The Stranger (aka The Outsider) by Albert Camus.
I watched this movie on Acid and it literally changed me forever.
I saw Jacob's Ladder when I was 12 years old, and it was nightmare fuel for me. I didn't understand anything that was going on and I was afraid to keep watching, but I had to know what ultimately happened. I managed to finish it, but I still didn't understand and there was no way i was going to watch it again.
It wasn't until I watched it again 20 years later that I understood, and surprisingly it was practically linear to me when I saw it for the second time. After being stabbed everything that he experiences is in his mind and being influenced by the sensations of medical interventions being performed in an attempt to save him, blood loss, continually being assessed, given morphine and being moved to the casualty collection point for med-evac. Every time Jacob starts screaming, he is reassessed by medics and given morphine. you can actually see these events happening in abstract during the movie. It's brilliantly written in that way.
Jacob essentially has a continuous waking nightmare as he is guided by angels to let go of his earthly life and wake up.
One of my favorite movies of all time.
Proving once again that filmmakers of the past had true imagination and could tell a story. Not in todays time, I saw this in the 90’s as 84 baby. It scared me but I took a deep dive and it really intrigued me. The last shot where he’s hold his dead son hand walking into the light shows that he accepted death and died on that hospital bed in Vietnam 🇻🇳. What we saw was what was going through the mind of dying solder.
So True My Good Friend!!! So True!!!
Yeah sorry. There are still amazing directors and films being made today. They never left.
@@gamblorrr like who?
@@journeytrials Charlie Kaufman, Noah Baumbach, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, Alejandro inarritu, alfonso cuaron, Del Toro, Tarantino, Greta Gerwig.
Those are just a few I can name off the top of my head.
@@journeytrials Check out Pan's labyrinth, Its very similar in feeling to this.
There is something primal about the fear this movie gives. The fear of losing your mind, the fear of losing all of your life's experiences. The worst is the fear of helplessness, where nothing can save you and what is torturing you will follow you no matter what you do. The only way to escape is to give in to that which you are afraid of, and that is a scary prospect in of itself.
This film nearly broke me too, lasted with me for days and still resurfaces in my thoughts every now and then.
25 years later from when I watched this in college on acid and it still haunts me. Just watching this breakdown reminded me how much my life’s struggle relates to this movie and the ideas presented. I’ve been clean from drugs for going on 9 years, but this movie explains the psychosis quite well and what I didn’t understand then is how this would effect me as a parent. My reoccurring nightmare was my Autistic son being hit by a car, something I didn’t correlate to this film until years later.
I am also the only child of a Nam vet who could never fully come back, spent his life to addiction and is now in a VA home with Alzheimer’s, stuck in a time loop where he’s just about to come home.
Maybe we really do bear the scars of our ancestors and what happened to them during these years of war..,
You can get that from wet brain. Too much drinking will do it.
I heard of one where they guy was stuck mentally in the rain, begging his wife to let him inside. Forever.
Asked
OMG! This movie! Dude I saw this movie as a kid with my dad and it literally haunted me for like years until I was able to remember the name and re watch it when I was in my 20s. Whenever I tried describing this movie to people no one ever had any idea what I was talking about.
I'd know it. Just like my mind. Lol
I’ve watched this movie several times starting around 12 years old and it’s one of those that continues to boggle my mind. Thank you for this review it’s really an eye-opener. I guess it’s time to rewatch it
Me too! I saw it in the movie theater @12, became one of my top favs, alongside Flatliners.
I saw it fresh when it came out,on ACID.... it did break me,stayed with me for months,it seemed to reveal a deeper truth about the mind,death and self inflicted Punishment.... the Remake is Soft,moist and makes the original even better
One film I think you might really enjoy is called Frailty. It stars Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton, the latter also being the director.
Looks intriguing! Adding it to the list now :)
Frailty is absolutely amazing, one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time, you def would not expect the ending lol.
Frailty?
Frailty did not get enough love at the time
Heck yes. Definitely an under-fucking-rated movie. Has to be one of MM's best roles.
We don't get incredible movies like this anymore.
This film has been in my collection since the very late 90s after a dear friend made me watch it with him. It still blows me away every time I watch it. Thank you for reviewing this film. It's been a favorite of mine since high school and has really shaped how I view mortality. It was also definitely the last nail in the coffin for any notions of military service being a viable life option for me!
Yeah, but right now, you could buy a house at EXTREMELY LOW interest rates...like 1% was it?
Need to watch when I get home from work. Such a good film. We need more of this stuff. Not remakes. Creativity
I finally got around to watching this masterpiece of cinema last week. I've also been playing through a lot of Silent Hill games recently as well! Needless to say, I was a puddle by the time the end credits rolled around. I'm so glad yourself and Ragnar Rox convinced me to watch it!
Thank you for that amazing run down!
My pleasure!
*YES!!* I've been dying to see you cover this 💖
This lends a fair amount of inspiration and context behind the early titles of the Silent Hill series.
One of my favorite movies of all time. Thanks for this wonderful explanation!
There's apparently a Director's Cut version which was aired on the Movie Channel which contains all the deleted scenes. Over 20 minutes were cut in the theatrical version, including a part of the ending which included a demon scene.
Where can I find this??
This movie absolutely blew my mind as I child. I didn’t know movies could be like this. It definitely has a special place in my heart. That line about devils and angels Danny Aiello says to him really hit me hard.
This movie always hit me very hard. Maybe its fear of the unknown, but I can't watch it again as much as of a beautiful piece of art it is.
You are incredibly articulate.
One HELL of a movie…. literally & literarily
Amazing video dude. I remember watching this film when I was a teenager.
A different sort of war film that hits you different that alot of other films.
Spooky and ominous.
Thank you Filmandcomics
been waiting for this breakdown for 25 years! nice one! :D
very useful explanation, thank for making
This is, in my view, the most underrated movie of the 90's
One of my favorite horror movies
Thanks for reviewing 👍
Anytime!
It's kind of a relief seeing that I'm not the only one that was affected so deeply by this movie. Never has a film made me feel like I was going insane along with its main character. It's amazing but I'll probably never watch it again lol
Great breakdown man, I saw this movie when it came out - it absolutely killed - super deep on several levels. I’ve watched it several times over the years - several of the scenes stick in your head - really disturbing images
thank you for doing this assessment. Jacob's Ladder was one of my classic favorite movies since I saw it when it was initially released. I'm glad to hear your explanation matches with what I always thought was the underlining meaning of the film, and how it dealt with the supernatural.
You're very welcome!
I love this movie. It always reminded me of one of my favorite short stories, The Occurrence at Owl Creek.
I think there is a heavy influence of the Ambrose Bierce Civil War short story.
Since my teens, every time I hear or read the words Jacob's Ladder all I can think about is this movie. Freaked me out and I loved it, definitely one of my all time favs
Thank youuuuu for making thissssss. My dad used to love this movie.
I like how this film went on to inspire a bit of the silent hill series
It really did!
Watched this as a kid and had NO idea what was going on except for it freaking me out. Maybe I'll go give it another watch after this, some day...
I would also like to recommend The Prophecy from 1995 with Christopher Walken and Elias Kote.
Looks interesting! Adding it to the list now, thanks :)
Yeah this movie traumatised me as a kid for so many years....I would wonder if a actually watched this movie or was it a fever dream. I remember walking out crying and confused during the hospital seen. As a kid you can't understand these concepts and your left trying to make sense of it...didn't know what the movie was called or what it was even about it a was in my late teens just knew it was the most terrifying movie a have ever seen coming from a kid who loved horror
@@stew_stervich that sounds SO familiar :-)
Wasn't expecting you to mention Perth, didn't know that was your hometown. Great video as always. Much love from WA.
Always been one of my favorites and ever since coming home from the Army with PTSD, it's even scarier.
5:00
The lesson here boys and girls is never trust a Santa Claus in the big city.
I wish they made some more creative movies like this. Just letting the viewers figure things out for themselves .
Just now finished this video after watching the film last night before bed so as not to spoil anything. Very well done movie, and your analysis as well. I was taken aback when you mentioned the experiments in Edgewood, MD. I graduated from the military school there to finish high school early. Soldiers and older cadets would tell us stories about that type of stuff. I chalked it up to campfire stories so they could try to scare us. Wow.
Most underrated but best movie ever. I watched it as a kid and it mesmerized me. It was emotional more than scary.