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Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $11.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dark, Disturbing, Depressing, but Well Done
Review: I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into when I decided to watch "Jacob's Ladder." All I knew was that it was an old movie that got rave reviews. It seemed like something I would like. Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see; good and bad. All I can say is that this movie was certainly different than what I was expecting. It is a unique and confusing film that leaves us hanging until the very unexpected ending. (Some said they knew it was going to end that way, but it certainly caught me off guard.)

Don't worry, I won't give away anything in this review. Be careful when you read the others because I have found that they give away the ending. Luckily I saw it before I read them. This movie is about a man named, Jacob Singer. Jacob is a Vietnam Veteran who just wants to live a normal life and work like everybody else does. But something strange has been happening to him. He is starting to see things; things that nightmares are made of. Strange demons and disturbing visuals keep haunting him day in and day out, and eventually it gets so bad that he can't determine what is real and what is not. The only thing he can know for sure is something strange happened that night when he was fighting in Vietnam. Was he part of an experiment that alters his mind and forces him to hallucinate, or has he just truly lost his grip or reality? What is real and what is not? You'll have to find out for yourself.

This movie mixes psychological thriller with drama and with film noir. It is a very dark, confusing, and even a depressing film to watch, but it was very well written and directed. The visuals that we are given, in a time where we didn't have the technological advances that we do now, are disturbing but breathtaking. We are put in a dilemma in which we the audience are just as confused as the protagonist and cannot distinguish what is real and what is not. We actually get to go through exactly what Jacob is experiencing.

There are a few extras on the DVD, but not that much. And because of how old the movie is, the video quality isn't the best. Maybe they'll attempt to restore is someday and give it some other extras that could help enrich the movie even more.

All in all, this was a pretty good movie. Not the best, and certainly one I wouldn't want to see over and over again. This is one I cannot promise that you will like. You'll defiantly want to rent this one first before purchasing. "Jacob's Ladder" is a one of a kind movie that will take you on a journey of going through Hell and back, and make you feel just as confused as Jacob Singer feels. A well done movie and a well thought out story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing screw with your head movie
Review: my god, as far as viet nam movies go, this one is about as far from the norm as you can get. there is pretty much no way to describe it without seeing it, and then it still takes a while to understand it... i have seen it many times, and it took me at least three viewings to start to understand it... as far as they go though, i definately recommend it... screws with your head till the very end...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FIVE STARS
Review: I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE THINK THIS IS A MOVIE ABOUT HIM COMING HOME AND SEEING DEMONS. HE NEVER CAME BACK FROM THE WAR!
HES ON AN OPERATING TABLE IN VIETNAM THE WHOLE TIME, ITS DEATH COMING TO GET HIM, HE JUST DOESNT KNOW IT.. IF YOU PAY ATTENTION AT THE END YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT!! THIS IS MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME.. TIM ROBBINS IS THE GREATEST.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: do not miss!
Review: I do agree with Dale Geurt's review on this movie. The more you watch it, the more you learn about philosophical issues. If you liked movies such as "The sixth sense" or "The others", you should watch this "surprising ending" film. It is even better that the two aforementioned movies, it is, deeper, more philosophical and critical towards the U.S. goverment. I just can say that I never get tired of watching this superb, but so far unfairly underrated, movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: MEMORY'S FALLIBILITY
Review: No matter how many times I see this movie, I am never quite sure what is happening. That is, what is really happening? What has really happened? What is real and what is not? The entire movie takes place and appears to be about a Vietnam veteran who returns from the war and is unable to handle the life he once led. We do not know precisely what happened that leads him to embark on a whole new life, although by the end it seems clear that he has most likely lost his son, played by a very young Macauley Culkin (leaving his wife and family to live with a very nymphomaniacal Elizabeth Pena and become a postal worker). The main character suffers hallucinations which get worse and worse through the movie, he starts to get very ill and begins to link his illnesses and hallucinations to his experiences in Vietnam. He sees a chiropractor (Danny Aiello) who is more like a spiritual guide. Robbins is excellent as this confused man seeking answers to these dilemmas that plague his life. There is a lot of metaphor and imagery here. A lot of material to unravel. When the film finally ends, though, you are fairly certain that none of the life he supposedly lived after Vietnam was real because it appears that he hallucinated all of it while dying on the battlefield in Vietnam. It is a fascinating film to see multiple times and to analyze.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: jacobs ladder
Review: This movie makes you wonder what our government is up to....

Could this really have happened? It makes ya think????

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: It's gonna make sense! It's gonna make sense!
Review: As I agonized through this movie, I kept thinking to myself, "Soon, all this crap is going to make sense!" I was wrong. I shouldn't give away the ending, but I'll tell you this: If you're like me, and after watching this flick for 30 minutes, or 45 minutes, you're just waiting to see what the heck it is all about... just turn it off and turn on something that DOES make sense -- like "Looney Tunes" or something like that. If you wait until the end, just waiting to see what it's all about, you will be so disappointed, you might actually be angry!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: been there--done that--almost
Review: While Jacob is lying on the table in the field hospital his body fights for life while his mind and soul are freed or stimulated to see the future.Most of the story is flash-forward--not flash-back!He sees himself,after Nam,struggling to get back to normal.What some viewers see as bad acting is a very good portrayal of post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression.He finally gets some control over his life and achieves financial success only to witness his son struck and killed while riding a bike. The prospect of recovering from his war wounds,the suffering he witnessed in the war and his painful stateside experiences only to return to a life of psychological torment and then after some healing to watch his son die is too much and his mind and soul give up. Was his vision the long accepted spiritual tale of one's life passing before one's eyes or a trick played on him by a very sophisticated drug? The medics thought he put up a good fight to survive---but they didn't know that he gave up!Was it to avoid more psychological pain to himself or was it to save the life of the son who would never be born to atone for killing he may have done under the influence of the drug. Just as TV "MASH" sought to show the goofy human peace-loving nature of kids stimulated to war,so does the mystery drug represent all the hidden powers and agendas that toy with our thin layer of humanity.More allegories and symbols appear each time I see this flic.One of my TOP 10! I sensed that others didn't want to give away too much. Don't worry--it only gets better!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a stunner
Review: I saw this movie at the cinema ages ago, it was one of those movies that I had no plans to see but by chance ended up sitting down to watch. Lady luck was definitly shining on me as it is one of the best experiences I have had the cinema, this movie is simply an under-rated classic from start to finish. I don't want to spoil the plot just sit down and let the tale unfold.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Stinkbomb
Review: This crazy, nonsensical movie is yet more anti-military paranoia from the Hollywood Left. Be careful! The Army could be putting mind altering substances into your food too! I think the author of this work is the one who has had too many drugs! Save your money, buy the 3 Stooges, they say alot more and with greater intelligence.


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