An intelligent thriller.

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2011)

Duncan Jones' sophomore directorial effort after the sublime Moon further proves he has a knack for intelligent, emotion-filled sci-fi's. His deft touch with both the action and dramatic scenes shapes Source Code into an edge-of-your-seat thought-provoker which stays with you well after it has finished. Scribe Ben Ripley also deserves credit for his multi-layered script which, although featuring a couple of plot holes for those looking hard enough, pushes the intriguing concept – that you can relive the last eight minutes of someone's life over and over again – past expectations whilst still maintaining a sturdy realism. On screen Jake Gyllenhaal plays Captain Colter Stevens – the man responsible for repeatedly going back through the last few minutes of another man's life to find clues as to who blew up a train – with a nice mix of individuality and dutifulness, smarts and bewilderment. He shares a natural chemistry with both Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga, a victim of the terrorist attack and a fellow Army officer respectively, who are both outstanding in their own right. The trio invest the story with a believability required and subsequently give the moral questions posed a higher level of poignancy. I've always appreciated a thoughtful thriller and Source Code ranks among the best in this category. 4 out of 5