Day 178: Jacob's Ladder

I probably saw this at too early an age and then saw it over and over again. As such, some of the disturbing images are burned into my brain. It didn't help that UNKLE appropriated a monologue from Danny Aiello for their song Lonely Souls. As such, I probably give this movie more credit than it deserves.

Tim Robbins is Jacob Singer, a Vietnam vet and postal worker who is experiencing hardcore hallucinations. Faceless, vibrating figures appear around him and try to run him over. In the meantime, he is dealing with a girlfriend and the fact that his ex-wife and children want nothing to do with him. He occasionally sees his dead son, too. Before too long, Jacob and his old army buddies begin to believe that they were experimented on during the war.

The plot of the movie (and the twist ending that I won't give away here) is pretty straightforward but the stylish directing by Adrian Lyne, makes the whole thing feel like a scuzzy nightmare. Robbins is all nerves and sweat as he stumbles from one freakshow scenario to the next. Elizabeth Pena was super sexy as his girlfriend and Aiello gets all the best lines.

If you've never seen this one, you should check it out. I would give it a B+ but it probably deserves less.