Source Code

Source Code opens in theatres everywhere Friday, April 1st.



For those upset by the preponderance of films that start with a scene that turns out to be a flashback these days and fear that a movie like Duncan Jones' Source Code would start in a similar fashion, fear not. As the story begins in media res, Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is just as confused as the audience is. Waking up from his last memory (crashing a helicopter while on a mission in Afghanistan), Colter finds himself aboard a Chicago area commuter train seated across from a beautiful woman (Michelle Monaghan) who insists Colter is really a colleague of her's. A quick look in the mirror proves to Colter that all is not what it seems and following a panic attack everyone on board the train is killed in a horrible act of terrorism only 8 minutes after Colter has awakened in his new body.

This is a pattern that Colter will repeat countless times after being unwittingly remanded to a shadowy government anti-terrorism project known as Source Code. Without ever once being fully briefed by his superiors (Jeffrey Wright and Vera Farmiga) about the possible side effects of the program or why he was chosen, Colter is repeatedly sent back to the scene of a very real crime, not to prevent it, but in an effort to identify the bomber of the train before he strikes again with a nuclear device in downtown Chicago.

What could have functioned as a simple cross between 12 Monkeys, Speed, and Groundhog Day is instead a wonderful take on the ethics at the heart of moral relativism, modern day privacy in a post 9/11 world, and a damn exciting thriller above all else. Source Code is one of the best sci-fi action films in years. Many of the individual elements of the film may feel pretty "old hat" by now (numerous red herrings, scenes of disarming a bomb, obvious romantic complications to the mission), but Jones and his cast do everything so well that the film functions almost as a workman-like clinic on how to make such a techno-thriller. It is a film audience members could set their clocks to, but in this case, it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

At the heart of the film is a wonderful performance from Gyllenhaal. He more than adequately portrays Colter as a reluctant and confused hero. Colter only finds clues are meted out in small doses at a time. His own personal feelings and his own place in a much larger equation makes it nearly impossible for him to stay on task for a full eight minute cycle. Colter might be getting closer to a solution, but his mind and body are paying the price. Gyllenhaal absolutely nails the feeling of a young soldier trapped in two hopeless situations at the same time. There is no one who can save him and no one who can go back in time to save the people on the train. As for the supporting cast, Wright is sufficiently gruff and demanding while Farmiga is a master at remaining professional while expressing doubt using nothing more than her eyes.

It might all feel like a bit much at times, but Source Code hits the ground running and Jones only allows the viewer to catch up at the same pace as Colter. Minus some unconvincing, low-budget CGI and Monaghan being underutilized, Source Code is a pitch perfect crowd pleaser.

Rating (out of four stars): ***1/2