Source Code Review
By David Kempler
Code Blue in Overdrive
When mainstream, American action films come a-knocking, I usually run for the hills. Their formulaic ways of presenting plot lines are usually so childishly simple that it's all I can do to scream at the screen. But Duncan Jones directs "Source Code" in a way that overcomes the painfully obvious character development. That's because the film's science-fiction premise is sturdy and Jake Gyllenhaal does a superb job of propelling the action forward without falling into the usual traps. Jones does every bit as good a job as Jake, and together they take what could have been a disaster and instead deliver a tremendous disaster film. Jones obviously has inherited some of his daddy's (David Bowie, that is) talent.
"Source Code" is an action version of "Groundhog Day". Just like its comedy counterpart, "Code" makes multiple attempts to get it right the first time. Jake commands the screen, much like Bill Murray did, never letting us forget that we are watching him in showcase mode.
Colter Stevens (Jake) wakes up on a commuter train and is utterly disoriented. Christina (Michelle Monaghan) is the pretty young thing sitting across from him. She jokes with him and he has not a clue who she is or why she is talking to him. Glancing around the train don't help him much either; he knows not a soul. Even worse, he doesn't have a clue who he is. Eight minutes later he begins to find out who he is and why he is on the train. It's a nice little trick, but it works only because of Gyllenhaal's performance and the great way that Jones directs.
Even though the trailers have probably revealed the plot, I am going to operate under the assumption that you don't have a clue. What I will tell you is that the U.S. government is conducting an experiment on Colter Stevens and using him to try and avert the deaths of millions of people in the Chicago area. Along the way we meet a military lady who gives Colter his orders and her boss, who is utterly unremarkable in his role. And it doesn't matter a bit.
I was hypnotized by "Source Code", despite some minor things I didn't like. It is so well done, that I could easily overlook anything that slightly annoyed me about it. It's fun, compelling, and a as wild a ride as I've been on in quite some time. Go to the source.
