Jacob's Ladder

Director Adrian Lyne is mainly known for erotic movies like “9 1/2 Weeks” (1986), “Fatal Attraction” (1987), “Lolita” (1997), and “Unfaithful” (2002). His “Flashdance” (1983) and “Fatal Attraction”--both produced with meager budgets--became big hits, while the latter generated critical Oscar acclaim during its theatrical run. Although these movies are consistent to his style, “Jacob’s Ladder” (1990) is an odd film in Lyne’s filmography. Billed by some critics and the media as the scariest movie ever, “Jacob’s Ladder” has developed into something of an unseen cult classic--a movie frequently appearing in the top list of horror movies but still not watched by a large number of moviegoers. I skipped the previous DVD release, but the new Blu-ray edition from Lionsgate provided me another opportunity to view this underrated gem.


After having watched “Jacob’s Ladder” for the first time, I can say that it is better not to get too descriptive with story details. Instead, I am just going to superficially touch on the story. Tim Robbins plays the character of a Vietnam War veteran, Jacob Singer, who is probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, popularly known as PTSD. He is having visions of being present in Vietnam with his squadron fighting. The trauma sets deeply into his subconscious and slowly impacts his relationship with his girlfriend, Jezebel (Elizabeth Pena). As it turns out, he is also chased by an unknown group that is trying to kidnap him. Later, he seeks assistance from a doctor, who tries to release Jacob from his fears.


Viewed twenty later, when movies like “Seven” (1995), “The Usual Suspects” (1995), “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “The Others” (2001), and “Shutter Island” (2009) are well-know for their twist endings, “Jacob’s Ladder,” released before these movies, rarely gets any credit for being original in its twisted execution of psychological elements. That said, even with its release in 1990, the film was marketed as a horror movie. “Jacob’s Ladder” is certainly not a horror movie by any means but rather a character study at a psychological level. Working with a deliberately fragmented narrative, Lyne tries to superimpose Jacob’s hallucinations onto his reality to create a puzzle depicting Jacob’s world. Starting with a war scene and followed by a subway sequence, the film for the first twenty minutes is very confusing and demanding at the same time. As the movie progresses, the story goes back and forth between Jacob’s reality and Jacob’s visions. Nonetheless, the disjointed narrative injects tension into the story, and it also enables viewers closely to watch for hints that will ultimately aid in solving the main puzzle. The movie’s puzzle being, Is Jacob really dreaming? And who is he running from?


In the performance department, “Jacob’s Ladder” is propelled by a terrific performance from Tim Robbins. As Jacob, Robbins portrays a man undergoing a hidden emotional turbulence, which he cannot talk about or express clearly. There is a fair bit of worry written on his face, and yet he maintains a certain degree of calmness, initially, while grappling with his inner self. At each level, he is encountered by scenarios--the consequences of which later manifest themselves deeper to Jacob’s psyche, eventually affecting his emotional well-being. As Jacob traverses different situations, he becomes more anxious and emotionally disconnected from reality. Jacob’s character is believable and convincing with the script providing adequate background on his mental transformation and mystery surrounding it. In fact, the film’s success is attributed to Tim Robbins’s brilliant performance. He may have won an Oscar Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for Eastwood’s “Mystic River” (2003), but it is “Jacob’s Ladder” that elevated his acting credentials and set him up for success in later films like Altman’s “The Player” (1992) and Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994).


Apart from representing Jacob’s emotional state, the fragmented narrative also serves another purpose: to depict the stress evident in war veterans. Hallucination, disorientation, distrust, and nightmares are a few symptoms exhibited by soldiers suffering from PTSD. Of course, the biggest indication of PTSD, as shown by our main protagonist, is an inability to distinguish between reality and visions; these scenes act as a source of outlet into Jacob’s real life events. He is deeply affected by what transpired in the war and keeps on thinking about the aftermath of the events upon his return from the battleground. A feeling of being chased, of paranoia, and of claustrophobia become dominant parts of his personality. The movie opens with two disconnected sequences--a representation of how Jacob’s mind jumps from one thought to the next that have no relation to each other in a short span, but makes sense in the overall context. And let’s not forget that underneath the surface, there is a very important message buried.


“Jacob’s Ladder” is fast paced, and the continuous feeling of what’s going on or what will happen next surely keeps viewers glued throughout; but in the process the movie also suffers from an overdose of the “what-is-going-to-happen” syndrome. Some viewers might be at a loss in connecting the dots in the story, but if they stay the course, the movie can be incredibly rewarding. More so, the effect of the much-talked-about ending has diminished considerably over the years, especially in today’s era when movies with twisted endings are not hard to find. Still, there is a lot going in the film, and it definitely warrants multiple viewings. In this regard, “Jacob’s Ladder’ is worth viewing for Tim Robbins’s performance and how the writers have cleverly crafted a believably creepy story.


Video:


The 1080p transfer is encoded in an MPEG-4 format and presented in an aspect ratio of 1:85.1. Right from the start, the transfer is rough looking. The first two sequences--the war and the subway station--are marred with softness and haziness. The scenes have a fair amount of grain present, some inherent to the film’s natural texture. I am sure the haziness is deliberate to the movie’s theme, but the transfer lacks depth and dimensionality. Most scenes have dimly lit conditions, which result in a less-vibrant transfer. The resulting transfer looks flat, with muted colors, and it does not hold up well in the nighttime scenes. Still, the close-ups reveal enough detail with warm, lifelike colors. Although I could not find any sign of damage or dirt on the print, I can’t say for sure if the subpar transfer is attributed to the poor film stock condition.


Audio:


In the sound department “Jacob’s Ladder” comes with a lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Starting with a war scene with helicopters and guns, the movie’s audio track is underwhelming. Even in battle scenes, the surround channels are rarely used, with the front channels doing the bulk of the work. The gunshots are flat, and bass is evidently absent. The dialogue is clear and audible, but it does not gain much in this lossless track. There are a number of scenes where sound is deliberately absent, but the sound envelope does not provide an atmospheric effect that goes with serene scenes. Overall, the soundtrack does its job, although not as expected.


Extras:


Starting off, we get a regular “Making-off” (4x3, 25 minutes) featurette in which the director, Adrian Lyne, and the writer, Bruce Rubin, talk about the story and the narrative structure. Both provide their insights on the characters and their roles in the story. Cast members discuss their characters at length. We also get details on special effects employed in the film. Following this, we get a set of three deleted scenes. And also the disc provides the option to view the movie with a commentary by director Adrian Lyne. He talks about various scenes and the challenges involved in shooting some of them. We get more insights on the characters as well as the script. Finally, we get a theatrical teaser along with a theatrical trailer.


Parting Thoughts:


“Jacob’s Ladder’ is wrongly pegged in the horror genre; at the core it is a study of human conditions, with a lot of dramatic moments that can easily be interpreted as events originating from a disturbed state of mind. For some reason, this hidden gem has gone unnoticed all these years, but with this Blu-ray release the film will undoubtedly gain more fanfare and viewers along the way. The film comprises Tim Robbins’s stellar performance, and with deep characters and a twisted story, “Jacob’s Ladder” promises to entertain on multiple viewings. Fans hoping for a perfect Blu-ray release of this movie might be disappointed, though; this Blu-ray release is a mixed bag in both the audio and visual departments. If you can get past this, “Jacob’s Ladder” is a satisfying entertainer that comes highly recommended.