Review of Jacob's Ladder (1942) by Rylee J — 22 Jan 2011
This is a favorite movie of mine. It is the closest a movie has gotten to An Occurrence At Owl Creek, by Ambrose Bierce. Basically, three stories are told in which Jacob is present. The first, he is attacked while in Vietnam with his troop. The second, he is living with a girl named Jezzie with whom he works at the post office. The third, he lives with his wife and sons.
Soon, he starts seeing demons. He gets sick. Flashes of the other lives start to intrude on each other, so that he becomes unsure of himself and those around him. The demons kill people around him, threaten him. However, he has a few people in his life who are angels, trying to enlighten him and point him in the right direction. He is soon able to make peace with various aspects of his life, which allows him to let go and move on.
The acting is good, including early career choices for Tim Robbins, Ving Rhames, Jason Alexander, and a very young Macauley Culkin. The direction is good by Adriane Lyne. While frames as a horror movie, and having horrific scenes in parts, it is not truly a horror film.
In emotional context and some content, this is a precursor to Donnie Darko, and shares shelf space with it. I hazard that if you like one, you will likely enjoy the other, although they are a bit different in tone and content.
This review of Jacob's Ladder (1942) was written by Rylee J on 22 Jan 2011.
Jacob's Ladder has generally received positive reviews.
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