Source Code (2011)
Certified: 12
Duration: 93 minutes
Directed by: Duncan Jones
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Right, Cas Anvar, Russell Peters, Michael Arden and Scott Bakula (voice only)
KRS release

Duncan Jones, the son of David Bowie surprised science fiction fans in 2009 by directing Moon – a film that harkened to the greatness that had been brought to the genre by the likes of Stanley Kubrick, David Carpenter, Ridley Scott and George Lucas back in the 1970s.

With Source Code he proves that Moon was not a fluke and once again delivers an intelligent piece of science fiction/thriller and a brilliant piece of film-making.

Displaying influences such as the repeat living of the same moments as seen in Groundhog Day (1993), the mystery train elements of Murder On The Orient Express (1974) all in a science fiction setting that reminds one of the classic series The Quantum Leap (1989), Mr Jones manages to make a film that will influence many an aspiring film-maker.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the part of US helicopter pilot Colter Stevens. His life is thrown upside down when he finds himself shifted from Afghanistan into the body of a school teacher called Sean who is on a commuter train on the way to Chicago. On the train he meets Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) another commuter who seems to know him quite well. The train ends up exploding!

He wakes up in a pod from which he cannot escape. Here he is given instructions and information by video interface from Carol Goodwin (Vera Farmiga). He learns that he is in a program where he is being sent back in time into the memory of someone who was a victim from the train explosion.

His stay can only last eight minutes and in that time he must find a way to alter history by finding the terrorist and the bomb. Colter makes the same trip several times, always ending up frustrated, as he never achieves what he wants. However, on each trip he gathers more information and ends gets closer to Christina, making each death much more painful.

With seven times the budget he had on his previous film, Mr Jones makes some good choices. While the film has excellent special effects, looks glossy and is an obvious big studio venture Mr Jones has made sure to bring along a script that is well honed and structured to back up his strong characters. The script in itself also serves to keep the adrenaline rushing: the thrills presented, together with the special effects really drive the film’s energy home. Jake Gyllenhaal makes for an unusual hero in today’s Hollywood. Yet his drowsy image and attitude make him perfect for his role in The Source Code. Mr Gyllenhaal always delivers the right facial expression: whether it is one of doom, anguish or comical relief. At the core of the film is the romance between Mr Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan which is well played out and provides a tightrope upon which the film is carefully balanced.

Mr Jones seems to have fun laying out clues and setting the audience up as evidenced by the Hitchcockian attitude that the direction adopts – one that is playful but serious at the same time. One will probably find holes in the “science” of the film. Yet the direction has a sense of plausibility to it and the audience will not question the goings on for the film’s duration. This is mostly to the merit of the structured script, which places layers of believability and foundation upon which the next sequence is carefully laid.

The Source Code is both a thriller and a romance, while as a science fiction thriller, it simply plays with time.