New Review: Source Code

Quantum Creep

Whenever I talk about movies, I always tend to repeat myself on certain topics, particularly those that I have great passion for. In the case of science fiction, I’m quite pleased the where the genre can go, with my personal favorites being of the expansive “space opera” epics like 2001, Sunshine and the works of Ridley Scott. At the same time, I find some comfort in other routes that aren’t as epic. Today’s audiences have already gotten a demonstration of this foray into the genre a mere month ago with The Adjustment Bureau, a movie I liked in the end. This one is a little more blatant with its sci-fi premise but not quite the epic it could be, leading to a nice combination of elements in a pretty good film.

The film opens with a stranger, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, waking up and finding himself in an odd situation. He is sitting across from a woman he doesn’t know (Michelle Monaghan) aboard a Chicago bound train he doesn’t remember being on. Then an explosion happens and he is in an isolation chamber as Colter Stevens and part of a program called “Source Code.” This allows Stevens to enter into the mind of passenger Sean Fentress, who possibly holds the key to finding the bomber and preventing a next attack. The catch is that he can only relive the last eight minutes of the man’s life. While trying to complete his mission, Stevens also tries to break free from the constraints put upon him, and attempt to possibly change the unchangeable past.

Duncan Jones’s last film, Moon, I liked very much because it was able to replicate a grand scale of science-fiction on a very modest budget. He created suspense and tension built around an inquisitive character study. Jones isn’t really working on such somber tones here, and in a more plot-driven vehicle, it feels like part of Jones’s vision is muted. Juggling a more structured plot doesn’t feel quite as passionate, and what is left is a film that is well made but not always interesting. The middle of the film in particular gets a bit repetitive (though that might also be the work of writer Ben Ripley) and the pace can drag a bit. However, I don’t want to give the impression that Jones isn’t doing a good job. He does keep our attention in most of the appropriate places and develops characters and their connections well. This is just the kind of work he can be serviceable at instead of excelling.

The main players are few in numbers, but all of them are reliable in the end. Gyllenhaal actually delivers a surprisingly good performance, surprising only in the sense that this a good performance usually isn’t necessary in these types of films. He not only sells the character’s quest, but also the emotionality of him, particularly in the relationship with his father. By the end, you actually feel something for him and he unfolds in a genuine way. I’m glad Gyllenhaal is trying to make up for Prince of Persia.

The other supporting players do their jobs, but to be honest, it’s nothing really impressive. Monaghan holds some emotional anchors, but most of the time she’s disposable one way or the other. Vera Farmiga as the sympathetic army officer in direct contact with Stevens and Jeffrey Wright as the cold, calculated director of the Source Code program are great actors, but their roles are diminished that we can’t expect them to do anything more than remember the lines. It’s not meant to be an insult to the two of them, who are good in the film, it’s just that outside of Gyllenhaal, no one was required to do anything special outside of their own natural talents, and that ended up being the case.

The movie does have some issues in its storytelling, and I might have to give a second look to the ending to see if it’s a well executed, thought provoking moment of evaluation or convoluted piece of pretentious thought, but overall I really enjoyed the movie (though, as a resident near Chicago, I wish those commuter trains looked that good on the inside). The film is entertaining, suspenseful and even has a really good performance in the middle. I have to be honest and say that if Jones continues with this genre, I hope he goes for more ambitious targets than this one. At the same time, he proves that even if he sacrifices vision, he can still make a good movie.

B+