Jacob's Ladder

Review: I remember the crowds reaction when I saw Jacob's Ladder. They were somewhat stunned, scratching their heads, and asking themselves "what the hell just happened?". Adrian Lyne's (Lolita, Fatal Attraction), Jacobs Ladder is a Kafka-like drama about a man who has lost all capacity for telling what is reality and what isn't. What was real, and what was only in his mind? As film critic Roger Ebert put it, "I believe the intent of the film is to evoke the feeling of a psychological state in the audience." We are intended to feel what Tim Robbins (Dead Man Walking, Shawshank Redemption, Bull Durham) feels. Despite the often terrifying and unsettling visuals in Jacob's Ladder, the film is really about coming to peace with one's life or more appropriatly one's death. The underlying meaning of the film, is explained by Louis when he summarizes the philosophy of Meister Eckhart, a 13th-century German theologian: "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. They're not punishing you ... they're freeing your soul." What really happens during those last few moments of life? Jacob's Ladder is as original as movies come. I saw this film eleven years ago while I was still in high school. The film, at the time, influenced me much on how I look at life and how I look at films. Once in your head, Jacob's Ladder is there for good. Still, Jacob's Ladder is the kind of the film that must be watched numerous times to get even an idea of all it holds. Extremely underrated. Review by Aaron Caldwell