Source Code (2011)
Director: Duncan Jones
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
Saturday night always brings up in me a desperate desire to watch pure and unadulterated escapist fare. A quick sifting through the list of thrillers on IMDb made me settle for Source Code. At least it looked much superior to the recent spate of mindless action movies starring Nicholas Cage and Jason Statham. Thankfully, I was not disappointed!
The movie comes to the point in the very first scene. A commuter train in Chicago becomes the target of a terrorist attack, and is completely wrecked by an explosion. Before this tragic incident occurs, we are introduced to Coulter Stevens(Jake Gyllenhaal), who is perplexed by his presence in Chicago, because the last memory he has is of flying as an Air Force pilot in Afghanistan. Even more baffling is the fact that he is unable to recognise his own face. He begins to believe he is trapped inside the body of someone else! His beliefs turn out to be true when after the explosion, he finds himself in a pod, and Goodwin(Vera Farmiga) contacts him through video and explains to him that he is part of a the latest innovation in criminal investigation called Source Code which allows a person to be placed in the consciousness of another dead person in the last eight minutes of his life. The bombing of the commuter train had already taken place and it is left to Stevens to find out the culprit. He is repeatedly sent back into the Source Code but each time he ends up dead and in the pod. However, every time he goes back, he becomes more and more infatuated by Christina(Monaghan), a girl who seems to be in love with the person Stevens has taken over. Moreover, new truths about his life and the Source Code begin to tumble out. As he marches ahead in his search for the bomber, he also has to contend with the bitter realities of his own existence, his growing emotions towards Christina and the mind-games played by Goodwin's boss Rutledge.
Jake Gyllenhaal pitches in a very convincing performance as a person who is completely dazed to start with, but after spending time inside the source code and going through tough and demanding experiences, learns the importance of life, love and relationships. Gyllenhaal is equally adept in the tender and emotional scenes as he is in the action sequences. Michelle Monaghan as Christina is extremely likable(I instantly fell in love with her!!) and her innocence acts as the perfect foil to Gyllenhaal's gritty character. Vera Farmiga is splendid in her role as the duty-bound officer with a heart of gold.
The narrative structure is similar to movies such as Vantage Point, however, the premise here is very different. The incident of the train explosion is shown multiple times, however the difference in each scene lies in the manner Stevens tackles the problem and goes about his task of finding out the bomber. It is a novel technique of story-telling and is significant in raising the thrill factor of the film.
Source Code is definitely not an out-and-out action film. Rather, it unfolds as a suspense thriller with the only problem being that a major twist comes a bit too early in the film and there are no significant revelations to follow it up till the very end. The ending, though intended to be a surprise, is never too hard to predict.
Well begun is only half-done. Source Code starts with a bang and the director manages to maintain the thrill quotient till quite sometime. But the film loses some steam in the latter portions. The ending, though predictable, has a certain feel-good quality to it which is bound to make you come out smiling. Not the best thrillers to hit the silver screen, but the able performances and tight editing make Source Code rise above its shortcomings. With elements of action, suspense and romance in equal measure, this film is a worthwhile weekend watch.
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