Thrilling race against time

FILM REVIEW: SOURCE CODE. When Duncan Jones burst on the scene with indie sic-fi gem Moon in 2009, people expected big things and his sophomoric effort Source Code, while not quite in the league of its predecessor, does not disappoint.

In Source Code, Jewish actor Jake Gyllenhaal plays Captain Colter Stevens who wakes up on a train, totally disoriented and in a body he doesn’t recognise.

When the train explodes in a fiery ball, Stevens wakes up in a sort of steel capsule, his only communication with the outside world is a small screen through which military handler Goodwin, played by Vera Farmiga (Up In the Air) communicates with him.

We learn that Stevens has been enlisted to inhabit the final eight minutes of an Avatar so he can find the train bomber and prevent another attack.

He relives those minutes over and over in an effort to solve the mystery of the doomed train and falls for fellow passenger Christina, played by Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone, Somewhere).

Source Code is a taut, well thought out thriller with a humanist edge. As with all good sic-fi, the ethical and moral questions presented by the premise are explored deftly, providing an intriguing subtext.

Ben Ripely’s breakout screenplay skilfully strikes the balance between action and reflection, giving the film a relatable and affecting moral centre he is careful not to labour.

Great work from Duncan and his cast – in particular Gyllenhaal and Farmiga, who are both excellent – imbue the film with a Hitchcockian tension. Source Code could have done with a meatier third act.

The conclusion to the mystery is unsatisfying and feels a bit rushed, while the resolution of the hero’s journey should have been better enmeshed with the story rather than offered up as the crescendo.

Source Code is currently screening.

Reviewed by Adam Kamien
Rating: ****

PHOTO: Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code.