"Source Code" is an entertaining ticking time-bomb of a movie!

Rating: Null/10 (14 November 2014)

"Source Code" always has something new for its protagonist, Colter Stevens, to learn. It's the kind of intellectual thriller that takes place almost entirely in the past and always has some form of suspense weighing down on you. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Colter and couldn't have been cast better. Gyllenhaal works much harder than most actors his age, as shown in this thriller. Colter is woken up on an unfamiliar train that involves many different types of people including the beautiful Michelle Monaghan. After the train suddenly explodes in Chicago, Colter wakes up to a secret government agency that has Colter go back in time to try and find the source of the bombing. We later find out much more about this agency and about Colter. Ben Ripley does a smart job as a writer by starting of right in the middle of Colter's situation without him knowing anything about what he is going to experience throughout the film. We start off in a peculiar setting and adapt to the conflict just as Colter does. Each time Colter fails it's fun to have to go back in time to stop the bomb all over again.There's always have something to fix and find out. Director Duncan Jones did disappoint me. He does do a good job of adding constant ignorance and suspense, but he isn't dark enough. The weak visual elements and mediocre explosions take away the darkness of this terrifying plot. A lame crucial score, shallow dialogue and a poor ending that seems sort of like a cop out take away the complexity this thriller has to offer. Seeing Colter transform back to the past every time is shot in a very cheesy way as well. "Source Code' excels at what it tries to. Jones' direction is full of shocking entertainment and has a very unique plot that is unlike most films. We have many questions that all get answered eventually. The brilliant editing to make going back to the past the same and different each time is fun to see in Colter's point of view after he familiarizes himself with his setting. The action is balanced with touching drama and a big heart.