The First Excellent Film of 2011

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2011)

In 2009, Duncan Jones got the ball rolling for a new era of groundbreaking sci-fi films with his debut feature Moon. Later that year came the critically acclaimed District 9, venturing on a similar avenue in terms of the themes it addressed and fingers it pointed. Last year, Nolan got in on the act with Inception which, while not quite being on the same interpersonal scale as the others, was a spectacular piece of cinema in its own right. Now, Duncan Jones has returned to add to this canvas with Source Code, a technological mindbender sure to incite equal parts acclaim and debate.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Captain Colter Stevens, who wakes up on a train without the slightest idea of how he got there. While trying to get his head together, he is shocked to see the reflection of a different man when he looks into the bathroom mirror. Minutes later, the train explodes and he is re-awoken, this time locked inside a capsule. Enter Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) who informs him he is part of a revolutionary project in which he is able to occupy the body of a passenger for the last eight minutes of their life. The story turns into a race against time as Colter endeavours to diffuse the on-board bomb and catch the terrorist, thus altering the future before another imminent attack can occur.
Sounds like a pretty straightforward action-thriller, right? Well, to divulge any more of the plot would be the most unforgivable of crimes, as the film treks in a direction that almost makes the bomb thwarting seem like a subplot. The film opens with a brilliant set piece. Everything from the setting, to the cinematography, and even the opening credits seems Hitchcockian in nature, and Source Code retains that feeling by inserting a ton of red herrings (ranging from the subtly clever to the in-your-face obvious) as well as through the characterisation of Colter, playing every bit the paranoid, inquisitive hero personified by James Stewart in many a Hitchcock mystery.
This is definitely one of those 'food for thought' kind of movies; one that will leave you trying to decipher the indecipherable long after leaving the cinema. Perhaps the most noticeable theme is the way Jones addresses the most basic of human emotions, happiness, and asks us to make our own judgement of the relationship between ignorance and bliss. Another angle being worked here is a criticism of man playing God (see: Blade Runner, Shutter Island), as Goodwin and her team play Colter's constant overseers, directing his every move and dismissing the questions he asks on behalf of an audience desperately seeking answers.
For mine, the biggest flaw of Source Code was not in leaving anything out, but in putting too much in. The film sets itself up beautifully to finish with an ending that is original, intelligent and poignant all at the same time. Instead, it rolls past this point and continues on for another scene, which, in its attempt to tack a wholesome ending onto a powerful film, comes up slightly underwhelming. I don't want this to sound like an exaggeration, because it's by no means a 'cop out' ending, but it allows for a few schmaltzy one-liners that aren't in line with the rest of the film's tone.
Also, Source Code lacks a sense of urgency when it's really needed. Yes, Colter has to save the day before another bomb goes off, but this doesn't feel like a big enough threat, as all the while Colter is allowed to enter and re-enter the source code until the mystery is solved. Again, these negative aspects do not detract from the film as a holistic work of art. Rather, they simply keep it from being that little bit better, and maybe even pushing a perfect score.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review.*