The Verdict - 'Source Code' = 76%

So last night I got around to watching a movie quite late, so I looked for something a little shorter than usual. Browsing through the Lovefilm catalogue I was surprised to come across 'Source Code' the sci-fi thriller starring Jake Gyllenhall, coming in at just 93 minutes, so I decided to give it a try.

'Source Code' is the second feature film from English director Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son) following his 2009 independent success 'Moon'. The brief summary sounded a bit puzzling especially as I was already quite tired. Time travel, alternate realities, secret government organisations but I stood by my decision. Source Code needed to grasp my attention from the outset. It certainly did and it never let go. Here's the trailer:

The movie is entertaining on two levels in my opinion. Firstly as a "popcorn movie" because it features some great high-octane action. There are some brilliant set pieces from Jones including the critical train explosions, all produced on a relatively modest budget of $28m, which I thought to be rather impressive. Secondly however the movie operates well as a character piece and gradual evolves into a psychological thriller of sorts.

Jake Gyllehall takes the responsibility of the lead well as Captain Colter Stevens a war hero who awakes in the body of another man. He discovers that he is being used as part of government technology known as 'Source Code' so that he can relive the last 8 minutes of that man's life, in order to discover the culprit behind a terrible train explosion. The inventor of the 'Source Code' Dr Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright) hopes that if Stevens is successful in his mission his team will be able to stop the terrorists before they plan their second strike. Vera Farmiga also does well as the operative Goodwin who assists Stevens and essentially tries to maintain his sanity along the way. Michelle Monaghan completes the cast as Gyllenhall's love interest, and although she is perhaps underused, provides believability and good chemistry with him.

The movie effectively deals with the theme of free will as Stevens is told that even though he can do all this to help the government, the lives of those on the train cannot be saved. This haunts Stevens and Gyllenhall portrays his inner torment well. A critical twist however (which I will not reveal here) adds tension, emotion and admittedly confusion to the plot. The concept of alternate realities and time travel can often be tough to tackle for filmmakers and even tougher to understand for viewers, but I feel Jones achieves a good standard and offers a film that is enjoyable for its action and suspense but also commendable for the way it develops its characters. 

I'd definitely recommened 'Source Code' to others. There is plenty of tension, big explosions, and a stellar cast to boot, it's a lovely little watch with your mates on a Friday night. But, you may be scratching your head in some places along the way . . . at least I was anyway.

As for the next films I plan to watch, I really enjoyed Jones' style of direction, so 'Moon' will definitely be on the cards in the future I think. I've also read that 'The Manchurian Candidate' is quite similar to 'Source Code' with soldiers unknowingly being brainwashed and used by the government. I appreciate movies that deal with ethical issues in this manner, so that one could be on the agenda quite soon too. I'll let you know soon enough!