Jacob's Ladder (I) (1990)

Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam vet attempts to discover his past while suffering from a severe case of disassociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusion, and perception of death.

Director:

Adrian Lyne

Writer:

Bruce Joel Rubin

Stars:

Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Robbins	...	Jacob
Elizabeth Peña	...	Jezzie
Danny Aiello	...	Louis
Matt Craven	...	Michael
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Paul
Jason Alexander	...	Geary
Patricia Kalember	...	Sarah
Eriq La Salle	...	Frank
Ving Rhames	...	George
Brian Tarantina	...	Doug
Anthony Alessandro	...	Rod
Brent Hinkley	...	Jerry
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Elsa
Suzanne Shepherd	...	Hospital Receptionist
Doug Barron	...	Group Leader

Storyline

New York postal worker Jacob Singer is trying to keep his frayed life from unraveling. His days are increasingly being invaded by flashbacks to his first marriage, his now-dead son, and his tour of duty in Vietnam. Athough his new wife tries to help Jacob keep his grip on sanity, the line between reality and delusion is steadily growing more and more uncertain.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam | new york | delusion | army | conspiracy | 

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Taglines:

The most frightening thing about Jacob Singer's nightmare is that he isn't dreaming.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dante's Inferno

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$26,118,851 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director Adrian Lyne, the drug aspect of the story was inspired by the Martin Lee and Bruce Shlain book, "Acid Dreams: The CIA, LSD and Sixties Rebellion".

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Goofs

Jacob's doctor, Louie shouts out for "Jacob Stinger" at one point when he is attempting to rescue Jacob from the hospital. Jacob's full name in the movie is Singer, not "Stinger".

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Quotes

Louis: If you're frightened of dying, and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. If you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth.

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Crazy Credits

The credits roll over a grainy black and white photo of Gabe and Jacob crossing the street together.

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Connections

Referenced in The Sixth Sense (1999)

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Soundtracks

"PLEASE MR. POSTMAN"
Written by Robert Bateman (as R. Bateman) / Georgia Dobbins (as G. Dobbins) / William Garrett (as W. Garrett) / Brian Holland (as B. Holland) / Freddie Gorman (as F. Gorman)
Published by Jobete Music Co., Inc. (ASCAP) / Stone Agate Music (BMI)

User Reviews

Brilliant! On par with Kubrick!

Jacob's Ladder is a masterpiece. Nothing less.

It has a highly intelligent plot though not difficult or artsy and is void of cliches. It therefore confuses and aggravates many viewers and professional reviewers always wanting a standard has-it-all Hollywood outpouring.

It is so few films that leaves room for independent thoughts. Jacob's Ladder tumbles your mind the same way a dream of your own does. I have never felt this effect in a film so strong before. The images comes pouring in and your brain tries to make sense of it. Whenever you think you have a grasp it slides away again.

The brilliance of the progression of the story, twists and turns, and the final explanation, so obvious but elusive as real dreams are, makes it on par with the best of Kubrick.