Source Code (2011)
A science fiction "Who done it" movie that stands the test of time. A movie that eluded my eyes until now and I'm glad I got to see this gem. This movie is directed by Duncan Jones (Moon 2009, Warcraft 2016) and he did a great job with this film, whether it was the direction the movie went to the camera angles, the film did a phenomenal job at showing us exactly what we needed to see and giving us just enough information to keep us wondering.
The cast for this film was just amazing and I'm not surprised that the movie was good since it had Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, and Vera Farmiga at the forefront, all three are superb at their jobs and make this movie a very good watch.
Captain Colter Stevens who is a military pilot serving in Afghanistan wakes up a different man on a train heading to Chicago which unfortunately is about to blow up in eight minutes. His mission is to find out who blew up the train. At first Stevens has no idea what he's even doing on the train and why he looks like someone else in the mirror. When the bomb explodes we are shown that he wasn't really on that train and that he's actually in a space capsule at unknown location and that he's on a mission from the military to go in the "Source Code" and find out who caused this bombing.
What happens after is a intense and thought provoking story that you can get hooked on. Jake Gyllenhaal's character must endure much through this film as he lives on a loop of eight minutes, eight minutes to find this monster of a murderer and to get the information back to the real world so they can stop the even bigger catastrophe. As this goes on he also has questions, why was he even here? Who is he actually working for? I like the fact that we don't know much of what's going on, but neither does Captain Colter Stevens, and we are finding out things as he does.
The film also emotional in a sense that we feel for Colter Stevens as he gets information little by little through out the movie, we also feel the panic he has trying to rush around to look for this killer with barely anything to go on. It's gotta hurt you mentally feeling like the world is real and getting blown up constantly right? Its gotta be mentally exhausting. The one thing I liked is that each time he goes into this world it's different, he changes things, which makes him think he can literally change the real world, but can he? Can that change the real world?
Is it a time travel movie or a science fiction movie with an unclear ending? The characters Colter Stevens debates that with the powers that be and says he can change things, but they inform him that the real world is real and that what ever happens in the source code isn't.
The movie doesn't drag at all and you barely notice that an hour and a half went by, the story is well thought out and keeps us invested in multiple story lines within the film which includes Stevens relationship with Christina, his past, whether or not he finds the bomber, and whether or not anything he does in this matrix like eight minute loop means anything in the real world and even at the end we are left wondering, thinking about it. It reminds me of classic "The Thing", even after the movie is over you're still wondering what exactly happened.
Its a very smart movie that throws you a curveball or two and might just end with a twist. Solid job by the director and even more so by the Big three Gyllenhaal, Monaghan ,and Farmiga who without this solid team I'm not sure the movie would of worked. It's a simple straight to the point science fiction thriller that will keep you on your toes. Well done.
Did you watch this film? What did you think of it? Write below in the comments and give us your take on the movie.
Watch the trailer below
8.3 out of 10
83 out of 100