I know. I’m a little behind on this particular film. I am actually disappointed that I didn’t make time to catch up with it in theatres. However, I’ve finally returned from the Stone Age and entered the “now” recently to sit down and watch Duncan Jones sophomore effort, Source Code. For those that don’t know who Jones is; he is the son of Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie. Jones, made his freshman debut with the great little sci-fi film, Moon. After carefully picking his next project, he has finally been handed a beefed up budget, solid script, and some top-notch talent. In the world of cinema this is where Jones belongs, where the air is crisp. No doubt, if you can’t tell already, I like Duncan Jones. So, I had high hopes for this thriller, and needless to say I wasn’t disappointed.
Source Code follows Cpt. Colter Stevens (played by Jake Gyllenhal), who finds himself strapped in an enclosed capsule of some kind, alone, and with little memory of his recent past. All he really knows is that he was a soldier in Afghanistan, then woke up in the capsule, and is now forced to relive the last 8 minutes of Sean Fentress’ life on a train speeding toward Chicago (don’t worry we’ll get to this) in hopes to find out information about a terrorist bombing that will take place in the near future. Wow, that was a mouthful. To break it down for you the premise is a more or less a Groundhog Day meets Being John Malcovich, where “Sean Fentress” is Malcovich and Gyllenhal is the puppet master pulling the strings. While Colter is forced to relive the train crash and use his detective skills to hone in on the terrorist, he also struggles to find out his own past and determine how he ended up in this capsule. As an audience member, I felt that Jones does a great job of letting me “experience” this film. Each twist and new development kept me in suspense; guessing the next move Colter might make, only to be surprised later. For me, this is a sign of a great thriller. Nothing is terrible predictable, but you also don’t feel like Alice tumbling blindly down the rabbit hole. Jones manages to balance all of these aspects, in a pretty high concept thriller that feels like a fresh take on the sci-fi thriller. This is one of those films where the trailer is fairly miss leading. Upon first glance, I think whoever marketed this film tried to sell it with a romantic angle. And, yes, while there is a bit of that aspect, its pretty void of overtly “Hollywood” plot devices that just serve to broaden the audience share. Jones’ direction is solid over all. I think he knows just where to put his camera and pull solid performances from the talent around him. Sure, at times, some of the performances get a little hammy, but Jeffrey Wright is supposed to be playing a mad scientist arch-type. And frankly, I think it works. Maybe this is just me reading into this too much, but a common theme I’ve noticed between Jones’ two features, is that Source Code, like Moon, places our protagonist in tight quarters. Jones’ loves these characters that are trapped in their environments. He does a tremendous job of making you feel isolated and alone.
As for the performances I think Gyllenhal is good choice as Colter Stevens, and he does a nice job playing the Quantum Leapesque detective he must embody inside the train memory. Where I think Gyllenhal’s performance really shines though are the scenes that take place in the capsule. Like him, I felt suffocated by the capsule, I wanted to break out and feel some sunshine if only for a few moments. Over all his emotions on screen feel genuine when another less seasoned actor I think would have had difficulty conveying that on screen. Vera Farmiga is also excellent as Goodwin, the mentor and puppeteer behind the reasons why Stevens is in the capsule to begin with. As she de-briefs Stevens after each returned visit from the train crash, the hard exterior she is supposed to maintain weakens, and she begins to feel sympathy for the Captain. Her transition at times feels a little too convenient, but never truly forced. Overall she does a great job keeping her character interesting despite her task of delivering most of the exposition in this story. Michelle Monahan, who plays Christina, the recent girl of interest of Colter’s alter ego, Sean Fentress, is decent. She’s not great in this role, but I felt ultimately her character isn’t really given a lot to do. She is sort of this fly on the wall for most of the film because her character has no idea the events happening outside the memory. In a lot of ways she serves to help Stephens find meaning in his “mission” and to offer a spark of romance.
In the end, Source Code, manages to be a breath of fresh air. Its unfortunate that I was unable to catch this one on the big screen, but I’m really glad I had a chance to see it finally. It’s nice to finally have a sci-fi thriller that is totally void of angsty vampires, wolves, or wickens (which technically are fantasy characters, but Hollywood seems to have lumped them into sci-fi). If you didn’t have a chance to catch up with Source Code, consider skipping the theatres this week and staying in. A solid 3.75 out of 5.
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