Surprisingly Effective and Emotional Film

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2011)

When I first saw trailers for Source Code, it didn't come off as anything noteworthy. It looked decent enough, and it's from Duncan Jones, the guy who gave us the fantastic Moon. But the concept seemed a little been-there, done-that. The thrills seemed like they could be light and even a bit dull. But, color me surprised to report that this is an unexpected film that does both the thrills and emotions right. Much like Moon, Jones manages to package this film with both a fascinating story and a very relatable and human protagonist.
The plot is simple enough: Capt. Colter Stevens has just awoken on a train in someone else's body. He soon comes to learn that he must find out the identity of a terrorist bomber before a devastating attack is to take place. He only has 8 minutes to do so. With this plot, it could have been simple enough to create a thriller that chucks the humanity out the window. However, Jones does a great job of doing just the opposite. Jake Gyllenhaal very successfully injects a great deal of sympathy into his character and makes him relatable. Going beyond typical thriller trappings, the story does its job of digging deep down to find it's heart. In doing so, it balances the many thrilling moments with the more heartfelt ones, whether they be depressing or joyful ones. Even the going back and forth between train and pod is kept to a minimum, making it far more interesting.
That isn't to say that there aren't faults. The film let's it's big secrets out too early, and this in a sense makes the consequences of our character seem less thrilling. At one point long before the end, you just kind of wait for the ending to come. The story about thwarting the bombing also seems to lose tension as it goes on, in part because of the lackluster villain at the center of it and how secondary it's handled. The ending certainly makes up for it by being very unexpected and focusing on the more important things. Nonetheless, a lot of tension is lost because of the lack of focus on the bombing aspects.
Overall, Source Code is an unexpected thriller. These days, action thrillers all too commonly forget about the human qualities of their story. But, in Jones hands, he puts that heart right in. By the end of the film, you will have a smile on your face, reminded of just how enjoyable a film with an emotional punch can be.