MyRating: YYYYY Director: Duncan Jones
Writer: Ben RipleyCast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence including disturbing images, and for language
Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), an American Army helicopter pilot serving his duty in Afghanistan, finds himself wakes up inside a body of another man, sitting in front of a stranger named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) on a commuter train headed for Chicago. Eight minutes later the train explodes and Colter finds himself strapped inside a small geodesic dome. The only person he can communicate to is Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) through a computer screen. He then learns that he is inside the Source Code, a government time loop program that enables him to cross over into someone's body in the last 8 minutes of his or her life. And his mission is to go back to the train and find out who has bombed the train, before the bomber could detonate a second more explosive bomb in downtown Chicago that could kill millions of innocent people.
And Colter travels back again and again to the train, gathering clues as much as possible each time, in order to find the bomber and prevent the second attact from happening. Every time his eight minutes is up, the train will explode and he will be sent back to the secluded geodesic dome. But as he starts to feel exhausted and frustated, he begins to sense the oddity and learns that some secrets are being hidden from him regarding the program, and he needs to find out what. So, as he is back again to the train and tries hard to find the bomber before it is too late, Colter also desperately tries to solve the mystery behind the program, as his life is also at stake. And as he is falling for the woman travelling with the man whose body he resides, Colter is convinced that he needs to fix the 'already written' fate of their train and all its passengers inside, in his own way.
This is an intelligent sci-fi thriller with a fresh and original premise. Brilliant and very smart written script by Ben Ripley, and excellent direction from Duncan Jones (the man who brought you "Moon"), who successfully translated the script into an amazing movie that stood out among the other sci-fi movies. I was really amazed with the outcome and I really loved it. It still makes me think and deeply feel about the movie, even though I've watched it some time back.
When you heard about the premise, it may at a glance sounds like something that we've seen before. Quantum Leap? Groundhog Day? Inception? I even felt a chunk of feeling that Vanilla Sky left me when finished watching the movie. Yes, some of the elements were there, especially Quantum Leap where the main character can jump into another person's body, and Groundhog Day where the character has to go through the same event over and over again, if you die then it will start all over again. But still, after watching Source Code, actually it was not a merely rip-off from the other movies. I must say that the slightly similarity with the themes of other movies was only skin deep. It has something very different in its content and was executed in its unique way. The Source Code program in which you can access into the life of an already deceased human being for the last 8 minutes of his or her life is something new and I don't think it has been told before. Again, a brilliant piece of idea. This is what makes this movie original.
I also admire on how Duncan Jones directing this movie. This is a small budget movie with not much special effects needed and limited settings, as most of the scenes were shot inside the train, nonetheless it was rich in emotions and suspense, as well as thoughtful and complex, but not complicated, that may create some perplexities among the audiences. And the way Jones handled the repeated 8-minute scenes was also very effective, since the experiences and actions that the main character has to go through were varied, as Jones did not hesitate to move fast into many other new possibilities that the main character may explore, which made this movie very well paced with no boring moments.
For the performances, Jake Gyllenhaal did a good job as a soldier trapped inside a program that gave him no choice than to move on and finish his mission. Desperate, confused, frantic, frustrated, angry, sad, all come to him alternately, while still able to keep his coolness and charms. A fun performance to watch. As the stranger, Michelle Monaghan appeared lovely and sweet, as always. Playing a generic and ordinary woman here, whom you may meet in your daily travelling in trains or buses (but still a total stranger to you since you don't know her, as Colter didn't), Monaghan played her role just in the right proportion. And as soon as you know her, you would like to protect her. The fact if you fall in love with her in this movie, then it also makes sense for Colter to fight a different fate for her in the end. And the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Monaghan worked well as two strangers who found attraction towards each other through 8-minutes of their lifetime. Vera Farmiga also played her role well as the only person who Colter could depend on, besides himself. Tried to be persuasive and firm, she has to convince Colter while at the same teased by her own moral obligations towards the guy. Above all, the most important thing is, the characters made us care for them, on how their fates will eventually lead them to.
Now about the ending, I must say that I like how the movie ended and it was a good way to end it. And I believe not all audiences can directly digest and really understand the ending as the writer intended it to be, as you will still have some questions in your head to be answered. Anyway, that is part of the perplexities that the filmmaker purposely left you to think after you walked out of the theater. I have such a good time in the theater with this movie. The amazing idea and the intelligent story gave an absolute satisfaction that will make you appreciate the movie even more every time you think about it. Loved it and highly recommended this. A gem. (MJ)
