Before this movie has a chance to breathe, the movie review mash-ups will out in full force. “It’s Groundhog Day crossed with the Matrix.” “Deja Vu crossed with North by Northwest” “it’s banal statement crossed with predictable wit”. We all love those handy mental heuristics, but I beg you-don’t do it with SOURCE CODE. For Duncan Jones, SOURCE CODE is ‘that difficult second book’-the one where everyone is heavily anticipating his failure. It doesn’t help that he’s the progeny of Bowie, leaving many a struggling film student to cry nepotism whilst seething with envy. At THN, we love an underdog, but can he carry it through? The answer is yes. SOURCE CODE might have more dollar-polish than MOON, but Jones gentle directorial style is utterly recognisable in this picture.
His first ever production was a an aspirational attempt to revive the British Sci Fi of Gilliam yore. Just when we thought the genre had been lost to kitchen sink dramas and Richie-lead gangster flicks. Jones managed to pull it back with a cerebral space plot, a few favours from Sting’s spouse and an unlimited amount of moxy.
SOURCE CODE is a thriller peppered with Jones trademark science fiction flavour. Don’t be fooled by the INCEPTION-inspired trailer and derivative ‘blockbuster’ posters, this movie is not straight popcorn. Jake Gyllenhall plays captain Colter Stevens, a dazed soldier riding a train through Chicago when he should be flying over Afghanistan. To get the mystery in gear (and allow a lovely homage to Quantum Leap) he runs to the bathroom mirror to find a face that’s not his own. But Al and Ziggy don’t pop up to offer explanation, instead Stevens and all his fellow passengers blown to pieces by an undiscovered bomb. And so begins the futurist opera as Stevens is whooshed through white light and back into ‘his’ body-held in a metal capsule. Was it a simulation, or reality? Jones’s whip-fast dialogue doesn’t leave time for guess-work.
In the first half hour we discover that Stevens is not in training-he is inside the SOURCE CODE-a computer program which allows him to relive a lingering reality for just 8 minutes. A reality where innocent passengers have been killed by an unprovoked train-bombing. His 8 minutes are on loop until his objective is complete-find the bomb, find the terrorist, save the day by stopping the next hit. But this is Duncan Jones-did you really think it would be so simple? The film treads similar territory to MOON, exploring the existence of parallel realities and alternate selves- in effect, SOURCE CODE is a futuristic existential crisis. (medium spoiler) The computer program captures the “temporal shadow” that resonates even after death. Though these cyclical 8 minutes are on repeat, they are the film’s ultimate source of suspense. Gyllenhal’s remarkable performance embodies the raw frustrations of a guinea-pigged soldier crying out for empathy as he is forced into each mission.
Despite the mainstream ‘thriller’ trappings of this movie, Jones manages to assert his unique directorial style. The setting lends itself to the inevitable Hitchcock comparisons, something which Jones appears to have embraced given the film’s distinctly classic feel. His innovative camera work allows each claustrophobic section of time to become its own unique scene. His concepts are complex but remain accessible to an audience beyond the Sci-Fi remit. The repetition of the ‘source code’ allows his characters to evolve without being pulled down by the density of the story itself.
There are classic explosions, mistaken identities, bomb diffusions and yet the film’s most memorable scene involves Steven’s tearful phone call to his father from within the source code. Even his slow-burning relationship with co-passenger Christine (Michelle Monaghan) manages to dodge easy cliches. Monaghan is madly likable despite a relatively small role and though cynics may scoff at the typical hollywood slant, the attraction between her Gyllenhal feels completely genuine. A guilty OTT performance from Jeffrey Wright adds some unsettling humour as Rutledge, the draconian inventor of Source Code. He revels in sending Stevens through his wormhole maze, basking in his own scientific brilliance.
Those who revered the minimalist integrity of Moon will find the bells and whistles of Source Code difficult to digest. Regardless of the commercial drive behind this movie, Jones has managed to maintain a high-concept core within a thoroughly entertaining thriller. Don’t eschew this film for its hollywood financing because he, along with our respect, has earned it.
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