Source Code (2011)

What is it like to be trapped in someone else’s identity without your knowledge? That’s exactly what Source Code is all about; this entrapment is however for some definitive purpose. Based on intelligent premises, Source Code succeeds in delivering a perfect Science Fiction thriller. This proves to be the subsequent feat by Duncan Zowie Jones after his directional debut Moon in 2009. From story telling technique both of Jones’ movies are similar; we always find the protagonists in isolation, unaware about the immediate situation before the story ensues towards revelation.

When Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in a commuter train headed towards Chicago he gets perplexed; the last thing he remembered was getting caught up in fire-fight while maneuvering his helicopter in Afghanistan. It seemed that he had no recollection of how he got into the train; the fact which bothered him even more was when one woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan) sitting across him appeared to know him & addressed him as Sean Fentress. While trying to figure out what actually happened, Stevens gets into an argument with Christina but gets interrupted by a powerful explosion which kills them & everyone else onboard. He soon finds himself conscious in a pod-like structure retorting to a woman named Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) via a computer screen. Goodwin reveals to Stevens that he was involved in a special project where his mission was to find the bomber accountable for the explosion in the train so that the next attack of much larger scale can be prevented. By this time if you are confused with what really happened; the explanation on Source Code gives a clear picture. Source Code was a computer program engineered by Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright) which enabled someone to cross over into another person’s identity in the last eight minutes of his/her life. If you are not freaked out with the mind blending concept then I would share a little bit more. Source Code helped to send a person to the past in an alternate reality. Stevens’ mission was to establish the identity of the perpetrator behind the bombing, however time was here a limited luxury. As Stevens gets into the alternate reality he gets more involved with Christina urging him to resolve the situation by not only finding the bomber but also to save everyone else onboard. Is it plausible? See it yourself to unfold the mystery.

Though the development of the Source Code program has been kept off the narrative loop; Duncan Jones made sure that the characters in his movie were appealing to make us really care for. It’s not unusual to find Jake Gyllenhaal in such complex role since Donnie Darko still he fleshed out Colter Stevens’ character seamlessly. Source Code falls into different breed of techno thrillers & will work well with those who are not seeking linear plot.

My Rating : 8/10