Jacob's Ladder Movie Wiki

Jacob wakes up in the New York City Subway with a copy of The Stranger in his hands. The film then shifts back and forth between Jacob's chaotic memories of Vietnam, as well as those of his late son Gabe (who was hit by a car and killed prior to the war) and ex-wife Sarah, to his present life (i.e. 1975) as a mailman living with a woman named Jezzie in Brooklyn. During this period, Jacob faces several threats to his life and experiences grotesque hallucinations.
At a key moment, Jacob's friend and chiropractor Louis cites the 14th century Christian mystic Meister Eckhart:
“ 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... 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." ”
As the hallucinations become increasingly bizarre, Paul, one of his old Army friends, contacts Jacob to tell him about sharing such experiences and is later killed when his car explodes.