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Source Code poster

CAST
JAKE GYLLENHAAL
CAS ANVAR
MICHAEL ARDEN
VERA FARMIGA
GORGON MASTEN
MICHELLE MONAGHAN
RUSSELL PETERS
BRENT SKAGFORD
CRAIG THOMAS
JEFFREY WRIGHT

WRITTEN BY
BEN RIPLEY

PRODUCED BY
MARK GORDON
PHILIPPE ROUSSELET
JORDAN WYNN

DIRECTED BY
DUNCAN JONES

GENRE
MYSTERY
SCIENCE FICTION
THRILLER

RATED
AUS: M
UK: 12A
USA: PG-13

RUNNING TIME
93 MIN

 

SOURCE CODE (2011)

Smart and engaging, Source Code is a film that incorporates top class science fiction while debating the ethics of science fact.

It is also a rare example of a filmmaker exceeding the expectations brought on by his debut feature, with Duncan Jones offering an exceptional follow up to his sure to be sci-fi classic, Moon.

With a much bigger budget to play with, Jones’ sophomore effort will appeal to both mainstream audiences and devotees of the sci-fi genre. Many have described it as a lighter version of Inception, yet that is much too simplistic a comparison and downright disrespectful: Jones isn’t riding on anyone’s coattails, no matter how great.  

Source Code stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Coulter Stevens (great name), a helicopter pilot serving in Afghanistan who finds himself inhabiting the body of a complete stranger on a commuter train, that promptly blows to pieces.

Coulter is immediately thrust back into his body. Bewildered he is debriefed by Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) that he’s been handpicked for an experimental program known as the “Source Code”, where time is re-assigned so he can relive the last 8 minutes of a terrorist bombing on a train.

And so it goes, as Coulter is continuously sent back (or is it sideways?) into time so he can relive the same scenario and find the bomber. Yet this déjà vu is far from repetitive, with each re-entry offering drama, thrills, some well placed comedy and even romance, with a fellow passenger and love interest (Michelle Monaghan) providing light relief from the race against time thrills.

As the central character, Gyllenhaal does a wonderful job expressing the emotions and actions of a man thrust into a unique set of circumstances. Vera Farmiga is very good as a military woman torn between her duty and her conscience, and the always entertaining Jeffrey Wright hams it up brilliantly as the creator of the Source Code, utilising a unique accent and walking cane to nice effect.

Most impressive is the moral virtue found within this script written by Ben Ripley (an improvement from his work on Species parts 3 & 4). Like Moon, there is a twist in Source Code that drives home its ethical stance, so there will be no spoilers here. But what can be said is the Source Code is a film which asks direct questions about the worth of human life in the advancement of science and technology, and bolsters the stakes found in its blockbuster thrills while doing so.

Jones is quickly building a reputation for high quality, thinking man’s movie making, while also proving his mettle as an ethically conscious filmmaker. As a result, Source Code resonates on both an intellectual and emotional level, like great sci-fi should.

****
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