{"id":11204,"date":"2011-03-17T01:14:15","date_gmt":"2011-03-17T01:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=11204"},"modified":"2011-03-31T15:54:24","modified_gmt":"2011-03-31T14:54:24","slug":"source-code-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2011\/03\/17\/source-code-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Source Code"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The second film from director Duncan Jones<\/a> is a satisfying sci-fi thriller which manages to pack invention and emotion into a neat 95 minutes.<\/p>\n

Laying out the plot of Source Code<\/strong> is tricky as much of the pleasure of the film lies in how it gradually reveals its hand.<\/p>\n

The basic set up is this: US soldier Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal<\/a>) wakes up to find himself on a Chicago bound train, sitting opposite a woman (Michelle Monaghan<\/a>) who appears to know him.<\/p>\n

After a short time, the train explodes and he realises he is part of a futuristic military program which allows him to continually experience the last 8 minutes of a commuter’s life in order to discover who planted the bomb.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Supervised via video link by a military scientist (Jeffrey Wright<\/a>) and a fellow soldier (Vera Farmiga<\/a>), Colter finds out more about the suspected bomber on each \u2018pass\u2019 and why he was selected for this mission.<\/p>\n

To the film\u2019s credit, it manages to add a few more layers and twists without ever getting lost in complications, despite the nagging feeling that there are gaping logic holes with regard to the \u2018science\u2019 in the film.<\/p>\n

What exactly is the source code? How can people communicate in the way they do in the film?<\/p>\n

But we are basically in an extended, upscale episode of The Twilight Zone<\/a> where none of that really matters when you are actually watching the film (although a post-screening discussion might be a different matter).<\/p>\n

It moves quickly and efficiently as Gyllenhaal\u2019s character gradually uncovers the truth and\u00a0Ben Ripley’s script combines elements from films such as Groundhog Day<\/a> (1993) and D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu<\/a> (2006) as it explores the tensions and mysteries of a fantastical situation in a particular location.<\/p>\n

This is familiar territory for Duncan Jones, as his debut feature Moon<\/a> (2009) explored similar areas (although in a different context) and he handles the bigger budget and action sequences with an impressive ease.<\/p>\n

Generally, the exterior locations of the train are blended well with the interior set of the train, although there are moments when the CGI<\/a> and green screen<\/a> aren’t fully convincing (a dramatic jump from a train is jarring).<\/p>\n

But DOP Don Burgess and Jones manage to explore the location of the train well, getting across the claustrophobia and drama packed inside the carriages before visually opening out the film as it gets nearer the climax.<\/p>\n

The performances suit the material well: Gyllenhaal is a solid lead, playing a more likeable version of his soldier in Jarhead<\/a> (2005); Monaghan is a charming foil, whilst Farmiga and Wright bring a convincing level of military authority to their roles.<\/p>\n