Jacob's Ladder (1990) review

Veteran (and professor of philosophy) Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins), currently working for the Post Office, keeps having flashbacks to when he fought in the Vietnam War and experiences hallucinations in his everyday life, but luckily he has a loyal friend in chiropractor Louie (Danny Aiello) and his girlfriend (and co-worker) Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña) tries to help as well.  I recall watching part of this as a kid and being understandably freaked out by it but as an adult I think it's a surprisingly ambitious and abstract "mainstream" movie that didn't do well financially but its reputation has improved with time - it calls out the U.S. government for its unethical behavior (I encourage everyone to look up information on Rainbow Herbicides, Project AGILE and Operation Ranch Hand) and failure to properly treat the veterans who risked their lives to "defend" the country (which is still a major issue today).  Viewers might have a problem with the narrative "trickery" involved (and I'll grant that there are some pacing issues), but I believe it's an unnerving experience with a fine performance by Robbins ... and the famous last shot is both sad and something of a relief.