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Jacob's Ladder (I) (1990) 7.5
Ratings:
7.5/10 from 52,230 users
Metascore: 62/100
Reviews: 328 user | 85 critic | 20 from Metacritic.com 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 LyneWriter:Bruce Joel Rubin |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Tim Robbins | ... | ||
| Elizabeth Peña | ... | ||
| Danny Aiello | ... | ||
| Matt Craven | ... | ||
| Pruitt Taylor Vince | ... | ||
| Jason Alexander | ... | ||
| Patricia Kalember | ... | ||
| Eriq La Salle | ... | ||
| Ving Rhames | ... | ||
| Brian Tarantina | ... | ||
| Anthony Alessandro | ... | ||
 |
Brent Hinkley | ... | |
| S. Epatha Merkerson | ... | ||
| Suzanne Shepherd | ... |
Hospital Receptionist
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|
|
|
Doug Barron | ... |
Group Leader
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
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. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>
Taglines:
The most frightening thing about Jacob Singer's nightmare is that he isn't dreaming.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 November 1990 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Dante's Inferno See more »Box Office
Budget:
$25,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
$26,118,851 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby StereoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Evil Doctor: Where do you want to go?
Jacob Singer: Home.
Evil Doctor: Home? This is your home. You're dead.
Jacob Singer: Dead? No. I just hurt my back, I'm not dead.
Evil Doctor: What are you, then?
Jacob Singer: I'm alive.
Evil Doctor: Then what are you doing here?
Jacob Singer: I don't know.
[crying]
[...]
See more »
Written by David Hykes (as D. Hykes)
Performed by David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir
Courtesy of Ocara/Radio France
See more »
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". See more »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". See more »Quotes
Jacob Singer: Jezzie? Get me out of here.Evil Doctor: Where do you want to go?
Jacob Singer: Home.
Evil Doctor: Home? This is your home. You're dead.
Jacob Singer: Dead? No. I just hurt my back, I'm not dead.
Evil Doctor: What are you, then?
Jacob Singer: I'm alive.
Evil Doctor: Then what are you doing here?
Jacob Singer: I don't know.
[crying]
[...]
See more »
Crazy Credits
The credits roll over a grainy black and white photo of Gabe and Jacob crossing the street together. See more »Soundtracks
"HEARING SOLAR WINDS / Part 3: Arc Descents"Written by David Hykes (as D. Hykes)
Performed by David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir
Courtesy of Ocara/Radio France
See more »
For several years, there's a very trendy cinematographic genre. This is the "psychological fantastic". This genre is very successful as the movies: "the sixth sense" (1999), "what lies beneath" (2000) or "unbreakable" (2000) showed. All these movies must have been influenced by "Jacob's ladder". In this way, you can regard Adrian Lyne's movie as a precursory and innovative movie. Lyne achieved a masterstroke in an absolutely new genre for him. It means that you're very far from the atmosphere of "9 weeks and a half" or "fatal attraction".
"Jacob's ladder" is based on an outstanding screenplay including numerous weird details that increase the spectator's curiosity. It's precisely with the spectator that Lyne and Bruce Joel Robin, the scriptwriter play with. They take a malicious pleasure in getting the spectator lost in a real maze where seem to border dream and reality. Like Tim Robbins, you look for the clue to the mystery. This clue may be the chemist which Jacob's meeting at the refreshment bar truck. This chemist will lead the plot towards an amazing conclusion.
In Adrian Lyne's movie, there's also a part of the fantastic genre that is very well exploited: at first common and normal living conditions but that are little by little overcome by the unreal, the strange and the fear.
The movie also enjoys an outstanding performance to begin with Tim Robbins. A brilliant success and a movie that deserves to rank among the ten best fantastic movies of the nineties