One Paragraph Movie Review: Jacob’s Ladder

Two hundred and sixty-eighth film: Jacob’s Ladder, a 1990 horror movie that compellingly depicts Tim Robbins having a very bad time after (maybe) the Vietnam war. He hallucinates (maybe) demons (maybe) that are trying to kill him, works at the post office, regularly visits an angelic, comforting chiropractor who unlike most chiropractors seems to really do some good, and goes to hospitals that suggest he is on the budget tier of his health insurance plan. The horror comes only in part from the glimpses of the violently quivering, blur-faced demons you see in dark corridors and peering out train and car windows. Equally disturbing is the sense of dread and panic you get from trying to make sense of the circular plot. Then, just as you get a little bit disappointed in the tweeness of the ending, you realise the film has been making you feel the same dread and panic that Tim Robbins’ character does, albeit from a much shorter viewpoint. Clever movie. Tall bloke. Imagery that’ll get stuck in your head for a decade or three if you saw it in 1990, it turns out. Four Jason Alexander curly comb-overs out of five.