Review of Jacob's Ladder

Tim Robbins gives a very fine performance as an ex-combat soldier flashing back on an incident in early-'70s Vietnam wherein he and his Army troupe came under the influence of something man-made and horrific. Director Adrian Lyne is a most unusual filmmaker; his main concern is in creating atmosphere through an imposing style putting pain and paranoia in a visually grandiose cinematic context. Unfortunately, this approach can be off-putting when considering some of the more unsettling images foisted at us (the plot is twisted enough without the many repugnant visuals). Robbins is easy and grounded in his role (commendable under the circumstances), but "Jacob's Ladder" is flamboyantly heavy-handed--a drama-cum-horror movie dragging exasperating loose ends behind it. Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin creates an anguished netherworld of nightmarish suffering--which Lyne then hammers away at--prior to both men wrapping the picture up with a cold slap of reality. In retrospect, I don't think the climax betrays the audience, but neither is it particularly satisfying. **1/2 from ****