When people hear the words sci-fi, action thriller and time travel one of two things seem to happen. The geek in you thinks ohhh sounds like my kind of film. Or the defences go up and you think I'm not watching that nonsense. I belong in the huge geek camp so it took no persuading to make me watch this film. If you are one of those who would rather watch a film about real characters in real situations then I must beg you! Please do not dismiss this film as one you will never be interested in!
Source Code is the latest effort by Moon Director Duncan Jones. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Colter Stevens, a soldier who is sent to relive the last 8 minutes of someone else's life through a clever little thing called the Source Code. The person whose life he briefly shares is about to die in a terrorist attack on a packed commuter train. Colter must keep reliving this brief moment in time until he is able to discover who the attacker is so that he can stop any further attacks. The film cuts between Colter's time in the Source Code and his time in the present where he must report his discoveries to his commanding officers before being thrown back into his mission.
The core of this film really revolves around the two relationships that Colter develops. Firstly with Christina (Michelle Monaghan), a doomed commuter on the train. Secondly with Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), his commander on the mission. Despite the sci-fi story line there is a very human element to this film. Gyllenhaal is brilliant as his character journeys through more emotions than I could count. Confused, angry, elated, distraught, scared and horny are but a few! I found more believable emotion here than some films that spend their entire running time trying to manipulate your heart strings (see one particular earlier review!).
Source Code never really gets too bogged down by the technical stuff that sometimes stifles sci-fi films. The idea of the Source Code is a device that allows the drama to unfold and the characters to develop. Add to that the stunning cinematography that seems to be a hallmark of the director's style and you get a film that really works. Gyllenhaal carries the film throughout with tons of charisma as he explores the possibilities of being able to do things over and over. It will bring comparisons with 12 Monkeys and Groundhog Day due to its main premise, so if you enjoyed either then you could do a lot worse than give this a go.
On a side note the train they are on is AMAZING! It’s a double decker! And it has a donut shop. It also looks far cleaner than any NHS hospital I have ever seen.
My only real gripe with this film is what I've come to think of as the 'Hollywood Ending'. If this film had ended a few minutes before it did I would be thinking 9/10. As it was I can't bring myself to give so lofty a score. I don't want to give any more away about the ending except to say there is a definite moment when things 'slow down' a little that would have been the perfect place to wrap things up.
8/10
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