I'm not going to tell you what this movie is about.
Why, you ask?
Any info will ruin the experience.
And what an experience it was.
Here's what I liked.
Brilliant storytelling.
Incredible acting from everyone.
Direction, pacing, score were all top notch.
Anything I didn't like?
No.
This film does what so few films do, it will make you think.
It touches on so MANY different themes.
Right.
Wrong.
Good.
Evil.
Moral.
Ethical.
This life.
The next.
And pretty much everything in between.
Brilliant.
In an age of movies filled with senseless violence, unnecessary nudity and swearing that would make a truck driver blush, it's refreshing to see a movie that simply does what films should do....tells a story.
A grand story that I give my highest recommendation. Source Code
Acting - awesome
Plot - awesome
Directing -awesome
Effects- awesome
If you still enjoy being treated as an intelligent human being without compromising creativity, action, supsense, drama, sensuality, fun and believability in a movie - then this one is for you. Awesome movie.
SOURCE CODE has an element that is lacking in too many of the Hollywood CGI sci-fi experimental movies that are so very cloned these day - humanity. Much of the credit for this quality comes from the intelligent and imaginative writing of Ben Ripley and the tight direction by Duncan Jones, but the main reason this film works so well is the presence of charismatic and fine acting by Jake Gyllenhaal.
The story borders on the obtuse: a device has been invented by Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright) that can maintain a person in a state of recall much the way a light bulb has a glow after it has been extinguished. Rutledge has placed helicopter pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is missing in action in Afghanistan, in a capsule that is capable, under the direction of military officer Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), of projecting Stevens onto a train entering Chicago that has been planted with a bomb in order to discover the perpetrator who is apparently planning another bomb that will decimate the city of Chicago. It is a back and forth series of 8 minute exercises, each time Stevens relives the moments before a bomb detonation and gradually learns the the device and its owner. On board the train he meets Christina (Michelle Monaghan) who 'sees' Stevens as her boyfriend Sean and during these repeat flashbacks Stevens and Christina form a bond that makes Stevens re-think his 'purpose' in this military gimmicky.
*In the hands of the wrong people this little venture would seem trite and silly, but with this crew of creators it becomes a puzzle that touches on tension, fear, humor, and warmth. That is what a superb cast can do with any material, but with this particular strange tale it works perfectly. Grady Harp, July 11
I had been waiting for Source Code to come out since I saw the first trailer. Captain Colter Stevens is a helicopter pilot forced to relive the life of one Sean Fentress in order to catch a bomber. The premise is pure genius and the repeating of the same scene is kept fresh by the characters and the small changes that occur. Jake Gyllenhaal is a perfect fit for the main character. He is great at confused and wonderful as sympathetic. Michelle Monaghan is great playing off his character and Vera Farmiga is just terrific as she has to display multiple emotions with just her face. Jeffrey Wright's character is the only one not fully fleshed out but the movie doesn't really focus on him. Yes the ending might upset some people but it opens up a slew of questions (I've read so much stuff that people have written afterward) which is the hallmark of a good movie. Everyone should see this, especially fans of Fringe and the Matrix. I disagree with those who say it's like Groundhog day; it isn't.
"Source Code" is director Duncan Jones' second feature film, after the existential science fiction drama "Moon" (2009) took viewers back to the thoughtful sci-fi of the 1970s. Elements of that style are in evidence in the unretouched look of "Source Code", which, in spite of its contemporary setting, shares some of the same themes. Capt. Colter Stephens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a Chicago-bound commuter train not knowing where he is or how he got there. The last thing he remembers was being a helicopter pilot with the 17th Airborne in Afghanistan. Now he sits opposite a woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan), who calls him Sean and seems friendly. Colter's reflection in the mirror is unfamiliar to him, and, before he can figure it out, the train explodes in a fiery ball.
Now Colter is strapped into a capsule as a woman speaks to him through a monitor screen about an operation called Beleaguered Castle. She tries to help him regain cogent thought processes. Her name is Capt. Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), and she explains that the train he was just on exploded this morning, killing those aboard. Colter's mission is to go back and find the bomber, so a second terrorist attack can be prevented. He has 8 minutes. He's not traveling back in time, but into the residual memories of a man who was killed on the train. And so Colter goes back to the train, Christina, the explosion, the capsule, Capt. Goodwin. Again and again, as he hunts for the bomber, an understanding of himself, and of the implications of the technology that enables him.
It reminded me of "Moon" in its identity crisis and artificial reality, constructed for the benefit, or imprisonment, of the protagonist. This has a slicker, action-movie tone, though, rather than the contemplative pace of 1970s sci-fi. There is romance, action, and existentialism. And "Source Code", the mind-bending fusion of quantum mechanics and neurobiology that sends Colter into a dead man's memories, is billed as "a powerful weapon in the War on Terror." I felt the ending was a bit of a cop-out, and I'm not sure that it makes sense. But Colter's existential adventure does make sense, and there is enough action to keep the audience engaged even though, like our protagonist, we keep ending up back on the same train. Duncan Jones is now two-for-two and a promising talent.
The DVD (Summit Entertainment 2011): There are 2 featurettes, an optional Trivia Track that you can run during the film, and an audio commentary. "Cast and Crew Insights" (35 min) interviews cast and director about themes, characters, and each other, in 11 parts. Some nice comments, but it is repetitive and too long. "Focal Points" (7 min) presents the technical ideas used in the film in 5 parts: memory recall, military virtual reality simulations, quantum physics, many worlds theory, and brain computer interface. The audio commentary is by director Duncan Jones, actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and writer Ben Ripley. They compare the film to earlier drafts, discuss technical details and directorial decisions, filming, and Gyllenhaal shares his experiences. Subtitles are available for the film in English SDH and Spanish. Dubbing available in Spanish. - Michelle Monaghan - Action Movies - Science Fiction - Vera Farmiga'
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