Louis:
Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of
you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them
all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So,
if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils
tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really
angels, freeing you from the earth.
Review:
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. 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
