Source Code

If you missed watching a "little" Sci-Fi movie by the name of 'Moon' back in 2009 you should stop reading right now and get your hands on a copy ri... read more

If you missed watching a "little" Sci-Fi movie by the name of 'Moon' back in 2009 you should stop reading right now and get your hands on a copy right away and be prepared to be amazed with story so rich and complex in not just ideas but character development and acting. Son of David Bowie, Duncan Jones proved himself to be every bit a genius to cinema as his father will always be to music. Jones's first movie 'Moon' is easily amongst the finest Sci-Fi movies ever made, so how does he fare with his sophomore effort? Quite well Id say.

Sean (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a Chicago-bound train; across him sits his lovely looking friend, Christina (Michelle Monaghan) with whom he seems to share a platonic but budding romantic relationship. However the catch is that Sean is disoriented but more importantly convinced that he's not Sean. He claims his real name is Colter Stevens, and his immediate last recollection is of flying a helicopter in Afghanistan; he doesnt even ever remember being on this train. Eight minutes later, a bomb rips through the train, most likely killing all onboard, Colter included but rather than finding himself in some sort of afterlife, Colter is jolted back to reality and finds himself strapped into a seat in what appears to be some sort of simulation room or a space capsule with leaking hydraulic fluid. A woman, Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) appears on a screen in front of him providing him with an ambiguous bit of information that makes no sense whatsoever. It is learnt that he is in fact, Colter Stevens, but through a highly advanced bit of technology his is inside the 'Source Code', a virtual world where the right person can be placed in the body of someone else in an alternate universe back in time for the final eight minutes of that person's life. Here Colter is living Sean's last eight minutes & his goal is simple to find who bombed the train in order to avoid another potential bombing in the middle of Chicago. As the movie moves along questions not just about the source code but about the capsule in which Colter is and why is his last memory of Afghanistan start to crop up.

A highly simplified way of describing 'Source Code' would be to call it a hybrid of sorts between the alternate reality of the 'The Matrix', the repetition of a day (or eight minutes in this case) 'Groundhog Day' & a little bit of 'Deja Vu' (high-concept way to stop a terrorist). It's a high-concept thriller which doesn't forget to humanize it's protagonists but sometimes it does seem to veer dangerously close to the "cheese" in regards to providing an emotional connect. The basic story is not without it's loopholes but I guess any Sci-Fi movie with a concept so good is allowed to play around with its own set of rules as long as something truly outlandish isn't pulled off.

'Source Code' skirts around the issue of repeating the eight minutes without testing the patience of the audience either through some technical finesse or varied narrative styles. The occurrences at the start of those eight minutes (like the ticket checker, the spilling coffee, the irritated man by the window) however did tend to get on my nerves with every subsequent viewing.

The movies plot moves in three directions, one of finding the bomber, another of Colter determining where exactly is he and how did he get there and finally the big question as to what truly is the Source Code. These are supplemented with various themes such as the value of love and life, redemption, the cost of freedom for a greater good; each and every theme has a worthy stab taken at it in an attempt to flesh it out. I quite liked the relationship between Colter and his father while his relationship with Catherine feels a little rushed. I did find Goodwin's bouts of moral dilemma particularly effective thanks in a large part to Vera Farmiga's acting.

The ending of the movie goes soft in laying out a conclusion that would tie up loose ends and provide an emotional closure to the viewers. Though not bad by any stretch of imagination it doesn't quite provide the same tension, excitement and intrigue as the first hour of the movie does.

Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent & so is Vera Farmiga as the morally distressed Goodwin. Michelle Monaghan has a great smile and is just about competent in a role that doesnt demand much of her. Jeffery Wright is reliable as always in role that demands his dour best. Stand-Up comedian Russell Peters shows up in an extended cameo as surprise, surprise! A stand-up comedian who's traveling on the train.

'Source Code' is a smart movie that ambitiously tries to move beyond its Sci-Fi roots and the stellar concept that most movies would be content and thankful for having in the first place. All the tricks dont work as well as expected but I cant blame the writers and the director of laziness or incompetence. This is a taut, intelligent thriller which inspite of its share of plot-holes keeps you riveted for 90 minutes.
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Source Code manages to pull you into its story in the very first few opening scenes. The film, for most parts in the first half at least, is in a p... read more

Source Code manages to pull you into its story in the very first few opening scenes. The film, for most parts in the first half at least, is in a permanent continuum loop mode. An ex military captain is being sent into a train that exploded early that morning to try find out the id of the bomber.

Eight minutes in the train are constantly repeated over and over again, each time with a new layer of the mystery being unraveled. So far so good. It is post this, that the film slumps into mediocrity and belies its early promise.

Source Code is positioned as a sci-fi action thriller like the Matrix series or even the recent Inception. The film though is not a patch on either of them. While the first half hour is promisingly confusing, the film doesn't really build up to the suspense enough. The main plot, one would assume, would be finding the bomber and helping save lives. It instead digresses into a melodrama of human ethics vs national security, and that comes out very phony.

Jake, as the lead, is earnest but not enough to bring in a seething urgency to the part. He is too laid back for a man who doesn't know why and how he is in a cabin when he was supposed to be in Afghanistan. And the source Code it self, the fulcrum of the entire story, is never quite fully or convincingly explained.

Source Code could have been an edge of the seat action extravaganza. What it is though is a mildly engaging passable thriller. Watch it if you don't have anything better to do this weekend.

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When Sean Fentress (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in a train to Chicago, his colleague Christina (Michelle Monaghan) is sitting across him, thanking h... read more

When Sean Fentress (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in a train to Chicago, his colleague Christina (Michelle Monaghan) is sitting across him, thanking him for his useful advice to her. But Sean seems disturbed about something. He looks around acting shocked at his surroundings. When he refuses to acknowledge Christina, she looks shocked too. He says his name is Captain Colter Stevens. Baffled at his surroundings and the fact that this unknown woman keeps referring to him as Sean, he runs to the wash room. Upon seeing his reflection he realizes that his face is different. It is not his face! Then a bomb blast takes place and suddenly our protagonist finds himself in a capsule with a computer screen in front of him. A lady in a military uniform addresses him as Capt. Stevens and introduces herself as Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga).
Colter , a helicopter fighter pilot, feels this is some sort of a simulation exercise for which he has been pulled back from his assignment from Afghanistan. After much confusion, he is briefed by Dr. Rutledge (Jeffery Wright) that he is part of a program called the Source Code. The Source Code allows Stevens to take over someones body for the last 8 minutes of their life, due to some mumbo jumbo by Dr. Rutledge which touches upon quantum physics, alternate realities, brain senses etc. In this case, Stevens has taken over the body of Sean Fentress, a teacher by profession. Stevens enters the source code repeatedly for 8 minute durations to fulfill his mission of trying to find the bomber of the train, who has threatened to detonate a dirt bomb in downtown Chicago.
Sounds different doesnt it? Welcome to Source Code.
From the creative mind of Ben Ripley (Species III), the screenplay of Source Code is one of its biggest assets. Every piece of data which comes your way, finds its rightful place in the jigsaw puzzle eventually, making it all seem perfect.
The cinematography and sound effects are excellent. The initial background score does give it a rustic, Hitchcockian feel, but thats where the similarity ends. Stevens jumping off a moving train, although CGI, is brilliant. Not once does the viewer feel that it is not real.
The plot, reliving the last 8 minutes of a characters life, can tend to get repetitive, but the manner in which it has been handled is fantastic. One gets to see new characters emerge, new situations cropping up and new facts being discovered in every visit of Stevens. That is what will remind people of the 1993 hit, Bill Murray starrer Groundhog Day, but that is also where the similarity ends. That was a romantic comedy whilst this is a suspense thriller.
In terms of performances, Michelle Monaghan (Mission Impossible III, Eagle Eye, Due Date) as the co-traveller cum love interest, Christina, is good. There is definite chemistry between her and Jake, which is evident from the look in her eyes.
Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Orphan, Up in the Air) initially has not much to do besides talk to a computer screen, but in the latter half, holds her own very well.
Jeffery Wright (Shaft, Syriana, Casino Royale) does come across as a caricature initially, but there is a method to his madness which sorta gets justified towards the end. Russell Peters is adequate in his cameo.
Jake Gyllenhaal, after last years formulaic Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time, & Love and Other Drugs, comes up with a winner here. What works in his favour is his combination of facial vulnerability and physical aggression. He seems a natural for the part and he plays it to perfection. I loved him in Prince of Persia, Rendition and Proof. All his female fans, will not be disappointed too.
In terms of direction, the film is very well handled. Although, one would tend to guess the conclusion, it does not come as a dampener. The manner in which Duncan Jones (Moon, son of David Bowie) manages to weave the 2 stories, the quest to find and stop the bomber and the search for Stevens past are beautifully woven together.
All in all a brilliant film.

Does it have The Y Factor:Yes
Rating:8/10
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