Film Review: “Source Code”

Director Duncan Jones (“Moon”), the son of rock superstar David Bowie, has released his second feature outing, an entertaining  sci-fi thriller from an original screenplay by Ben Ripley.  The intriguing story is of an Army Cpt. Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal )who awakens on a commuter train heading for Chicago but doesn’t know whether he is alive, dead or, perhaps, still dreaming.   He finds an attractive woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan) sitting across from him.  Some typical train business,  like a conductor punching tickets,  occurs before the train explodes. What Coulter doesn’t know, and neither do we, is  that he’s part of a highly classified military research project. He returns to that speeding doomed train again and again in eight minute loops.  What Coulter can’t do is save anyone on the train. Putting this premise across with precision and planning is a remarkable cinematic feat and Jones is up to the task.  The acting and tone are pitch perfect and the romantic subplot of Colter and Christina becomes as poignant as the plot itself.  A classic is born!

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