Movie Review: Source Code – Enter the Code!
Since his debut with the gripping Moon, it would be fair to expect nothing less than a heavenly glow from Duncan Jones. And with those lofty standards in mind, Jones delivers on Source Code, one of the most riveting sci-fi thrillers of recent years.
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An Army pilot who was supposed to be maneuvering raids into Afghanistan, Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds himself on a train bound for Chicago. He can’t understand how he landed on the train or why a beautiful woman, Christina (Michelle Monaghan), sitting across from him, calls him Sean Fentress or how he has a valid ticket and all the necessary documents establishing his alternate identity from a professor. Before Colter can put the pieces together, a bomb explodes on the train, instantly killing everyone.
But to his surprise, Colter, strapped to a chair, wakes up in an isolated compartment where all he can see is the face of the Air Force officer, Captain. Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) on a screen asking her to explain what happened. Baffled by the events, Colter is told that he is actually inside a program called Source Code, where in an alternate reality he becomes another person for the last eight minutes of his life.
Colter is told that his mission is to return to the past in eight-minute long capsules, each ending in a bomb explosion until he locates and stops the bomb. The success of his mission would not save the deaths on the train, but it would stop a second attack, as it would trap the person behind it. Colter keeps coming back, getting closer to catching the man responsible with each trip, but ends up falling for Christina.
Once he catches the perpetrator, the Code’s creator, Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), rudely informs him that he will not allow Colter, as he had previously promised, to return once more to save Christina, who died in the ‘real ‘. burst. Rutledge is very clear: he doesn’t want to save the lives on the train because he just wants to show the authorities that his program works by using Colter’s information to stop the second attack. Colter, who warms to Goodwin, convinces her to give him a chance to save hundreds of lives that would be lost in the train explosion. Although he is convinced that Colter will not be able to do anything beyond the scope of the source code, Goodwin sends Colter back in time and decides to leave him there beyond the scheduled eight minutes by shutting down the program. Once back with Christina Colter, he’s willing to take a chance, but will he be able to defeat the Code?
worth noticing
In the tradition of some of the best sci-fi movies like 2001- A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, and his own Moon, Jones places the human aspect above all else in Source Code. The man who uses man as a machine wrestles with the eternal quest to connect with other human drives source code and the result is a very exciting and hugely rewarding cinematic journey. With its back and forth structure, Ben Ripley’s dexterous script may find a slight connection to Christopher Nolan’s Memento and the repetitive actions may remind you of Groundhog Day, but that doesn’t take away from Source Code’s awesomeness. Ripley’s writing never tries to be overly clever or sly like parts of Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Rather, Jones and Ripley play their cards very well by simply staying a bit ahead.
Last words
In addition to Ben Ripley’s deft writing and Duncan Jones’ exceptional direction, Jake Gyllenhaal’s compelling performance makes Source Code a joy to watch. Sincerity has been the common thread in many of Gyllenhaal’s famous parts like Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain or Zodiac and here too he instills great credibility. For someone who is alone in most of her scenes, Vera Farmiga never misses a beat; even as she gets emotional without going up against Gyllenhaal, she makes Goodwin bond well with Stevens. Like Clint Mansell’s background score for Moon, Chris P. Bacon’s music is added to the source code. Bacon’s very orchestral arrangement is a throwback to the sounds of the 1970s and is boldly different from the very electronic fare one hears in regular sci-fi movies. The source code would be unfairly compared to Moon, but Duncan Jones’ follow-up to his debut more than delivers on his promise and the sooner he gets the code in, the better!
Source code rating: 4 out of 5
All-Star Source Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Jeffery Wright, and Michelle Monaghan
Written by: Ben Ripley
Directed by: Duncan Jones