An exciting sci-fi thriller

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2013)

When Capt. Colter Stevens wakes up on a Chicago bound commuter train he doesn't feel himself that is because he isn't; he has woken up in the body of school teacher Sean Fentress! He is understandably bewildered and struggles to make sense of what is going on, then, eight minutes later, a bomb goes off killing everybody aboard the train. Colter wakes to find himself in a capsule; a woman on a computer screen informs him that he is on a mission to discover who set the bomb so they can prevent a second far more deadly attack in downtown Chicago. He is part of a project called 'Source Code' which enables him to jump into the last eight minutes of a suitable person's life; he is to keep going back until he can identify the bomber; he can use whatever means he deems necessary as everybody aboard the train is already dead he is also told he can not save them for this same reason. He doesn't think he is being the whole truth and becomes determined to find out just how he got there and prove that he can change what happened.
This sci-fi thriller starts with a bang and manages to keep things tense right until the end; there is more than one mystery as not only is the bomber's identity unknown there is also the matter of how Capt. Stevens got into the programme when his last memory was of serving in Afghanistan and the question of whether or not he can save anybody. Director Douglas Jones does a good job keeping the action going without sacrificing a decent plot and star Jake Gyllenhaal puts in a solid performance as Capt. Stevens. There are some good surprises during the film; most importantly concerning how he came to be selected for the mission I won't spoil that here though. The film isn't without its faults though; the explosion looks like CGI rather than a real explosion which was a shame as we see it several times. Overall I'd say this is well worth watching if you enjoy thrillers with a sci-fi twist.