Syracuse, NY — A few months back I Tweeted that “Source Code,” the new film from director Duncan Jones (“Moon“), was going to be the next “Inception.” Well, my day of reckoning is finally here. The movie hasn’t drummed up as much excitement and head scratching as “Inception,” but I would say it is just as entertaining.
“Source Code” features Jake Gyllenhaal as Colter Stevens, a bewhiskered Air Force captain who is trapped in a machine that allows him to relive the last eight minutes of someone else’s life. The software that runs this machine is called Source Code. Stevens’ task is to find out who bombed a Chicago commuter train so he can prevent the terrorist from detonating a dirty bomb in the city. In order to complete this seemlingly impossible task, Steven’s relives the last eight minutes of Sean Fentress’ life. Fentress is a history teacher who was on the train with his friend Christina, played by Michelle Monaghan, to grab a cup of joe. Every time Steven’s fails to disarm the bomb on the train, he is sent back to the Source Code machine where he is forced to restart the eight minutes all over again (ahem, who has seen Bill Murray in “Groundhog’s Day?”)
The story is a race against time to save millions of people while Gyllenhaal fights with his military superiors, Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Rutledge and Vera Farmiga as Colleen Goodwin, to discover his real purpose.
“Source Code” owes much of its excellence to the actors and screenplay.
Gyllenhaal and Monaghan have this natural chemistry that draws you into their characters. Every time Gyllenhaal reappears on the train, you can’t help but chuckle at the “Groundhog Day” dynamics that takes place. Yet, those laughs stop once you see him interact with Monaghan. Because she is completely unaware of her impending death and is trying to start a new life, its hard not too sympathize with Monaghan’s character and Monaghan herself.
Monaghan has come a long way from her days on “Law and Order” and “Young Americans” and has proven herself to be a serious actress capable of being the leading lady (as she did in the incredible film, “Gone Baby Gone“). Gyllenhaal is comfortable as a grunt–”Jarhead”–and really brings this complicated character to life (with some well timed frowns, bulging eye ball stares and manical laughing fits thrown in for good measure). He certainly won’t win any awards for his performance but it will win over audiences who found themselves sympathizing with Leonardo DiCaprio in “Inception.”
Jones’ third feature film features a significant amount of explanatory dialogue. Much of it is done near the beginning of the film, which allows for greater character development (sorry, “Inception). Screenwriter Ben Ripley does a good job of keeping the conversations quick and concise. Some of Monaghan’s lines seem a bit cliche but that’s expected considering the audience hears them atleast four times.
“Source Code” is great movie that proves how powerful and dangerous the human mind can be. Like “Inception,” there are some obvious loopholes left open for interpretation. Instead of a spinning top in the end, there’s an e-mail message that took me a solid 15 minutes to grasp. And that’s why this film is great. It keeps you thinking after you left the theater and wondering if there were any clues earlier in the film. And trust me, this movie can be figured out if you put your mind to it.
Don’t miss out on this film. I can see it sneaking its way into some best of 2011 lists.
Tags: ben ripley, bill murray, duncan jones, film, groundhogs day, jake gyllenhaal, michelle monaghan, moon, movie, review, source code, vera farmiga
