Release Date: 4/1/11
Source Code, directed by Duncan Jones (Moon), is a sci-fi action film which gives us a glimpse of what it might have been like if Alfred Hitchcock ever ventured into the genre. It has been described as Groundhog Day meets The Matrix, which I’m not arguing, but all the comparisons just confirm that director Jones is a force to be reckoned with. He follows up his ambitious cult debut Moon, with a solid sophomore effort that might not be quite as good as his first film, but shows that he is extremely talented behind the camera and not afraid to take risks. The son of David Bowie, Jones could someday climb from his father’s shadow if he continues to make films like these. The ideas and performances are there but I don’t believe he has made his best film yet. When he does, watch out, because we might just have the next Christopher Nolan on our hands.
The story is centered on a soldier Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who wakes up in the body of an unknown man engaged in a conversation with a pretty lady Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan). He is aboard a Chicago commuter train filled with passengers which explodes 8 minutes later. He is then warped back to a vessel where he is very confused and confronted by Colleen Goodwin and Dr. Rutledge (Vera Farminga and Jeffrey Wright) where he discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of the Chicago commuter train which exploded earlier that day, in attempt to prevent further attacks on the city.
The references to Hitchcock are abundant. From the opening credits, to the Bernard Herrmann-esque score, to the story itself that has an every man who finds himself in an exceptional situation. It was apparent that Jones wanted this to have the feel of a Hitchcock film and it works on almost every level. The score of the film is decent. It was almost like composer Chris Bacon was copying Herrmann instead of creating something truly original. It’s a shame that Clint Mansell dropped out of this project because it would have been nice to see what he would have come up with. After his collaboration with Jones on his first film, he could have really added a lot more punch to some of the intense moments and emotional scenes like he did with Moon. There is a similar scene in Source Code that reminded me a lot of one of the sadder moments in Moon and the score from that scene has always stayed with me.
The performances are all first-rate with Jake Gyllenhaal standing out as the leading man. As he did with Sam Rockwell, Jones pulled everything he could out of Gyllenhaal and to me this was his best performance since Brokeback Mountain, hitting a wide range of feelings. The supporting cast all did their jobs productively. The only real character I didn’t like was Dr. Rutledge. I feel Jeffrey Wright was miscast but that might just be because I’m not a fan of his work. The script on the other hand was interesting but had problems keeping the believability factor going. Ben Ripley doesn’t really have much on his resume but the way Jones handled the action, dialogue, and most importantly the way we would constantly keep flashing back to the same moment, kept your mind off the implausible storyline and had you engaged in the relationships between the characters. It keeps you guessing while having you on the edge of your seat, an entertaining and thought provoking little film.
I can’t wait to see this film again and that’s a good sign that it could get better with multiple viewings. The ending is one aspect I can’t figure out if I love or hate, maybe it’s just in between. You think it’s going to end one way which I would have accepted and it kind of goes another which doesn’t hurt the film, just didn’t wow me. That’s all I can really say without giving anything away. I do credit Jones with putting it all together and creating another enjoyable science fiction film to add to his resume. Not quite a masterpiece like Nolan’s second film Memento, but hey, third times a charm. Stamp it!
IMDB: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Moviewiseguys: 8.0/10
