OldBoy

I just saw this again (first time was when it came out and didn't like it because I was young and stupid) and didn't appreciate films as I do now. Now, just stupid, but that's another matter.

Anyway, I liked this movie a whole lot. Excellent scenes, disturbing imagery, and great distraught acting by Tim Robbins. I really didn't think he would wind up being truly on death's bed and then finally passing due to the gut wound and the whole Jezebel life was a dream.

However, the flashes of his former life prior to Vietnam...that all happened correct? With his kids and Sara...all the events with and without Gabe that we see with the other two and Sara? Also, he and his platoon were drugged and they did kill each other and he was gutted by another American soldier and that the images of his own unit was just distorted? That was all real and just flashBACK right?

Well, since I didn't know the ending I wasn't really paying attention to the settings of those flashback scenes, so I was wondering were all those scenes true to the late 60's or early 70's and nothing later so as to have the viewer ever assume it was a future dream? Just wondering...

Also, who else just thought this movie was great?

Jackskeleton

I agree with this statement. You forgot to put a ")" to close out that little thought.

OldBoy

thanks, but that really didn't answer my question in the least...

FinkPish

His life before the war with his wife and child did happen, but there is nothing to indicate that it happened like that. If I remember correctly, he started reliving his past life after he freaked out in the bathtub, so they were probably memories, but distorted. Obviously, the scenes with Gabe after he should have been dead was his mind playing tricks with him

Yes, his platoon was attacked by another unit that was messed up on some sort of drug.

nemein

Just a minor point (and it's been awhile so maybe I'm forgetting something) but I always thought it was the platoon that wiped itself out.

FinkPish

I'm not sure (because I haven't seen it in a while either), but I seem to recall that his unit was on patrol in the jungle and was attacked by another unit.

Interesting side note: one of the original ideas for the movie was that hell was breaking through to our side of the world, and Jacob was able to see the demons.

chente

It has been a while for me too but I think nemein is correct. The platoon attacked each other.

FinkPish

Ok, I checked the movie, because I wanted to find out what happened, and the chemist says that Ladder was used on his "battalion," which could be anywhere from 300-1000 men. But later refers to his "unit" hopefully having the highest kill ratio. So his "military group" did kill itself, but how they were divided up during the attack isn't clear. It looks like Jacob is sitting around with his squad, around 8-12 guys, and is attacked by either another squad or a larger force, but not by his own squad. At this point, I don't know what exactly happened, but it was Americans killing Americans, that much is clear.