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It's easy to wonder whether or not INCEPTION was an even more influential film than some of us may have expected it to be, with recent 2011 releases like THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU and now SOURCE CODE dabbling so much in the idea of alternate realities/universes. Of course, while INCEPTION was mind-bending and ultimately ambiguous, these two early 2011 releases are happy to inform you exactly what their ideas on the subject are, and both films have a particularly optimistic outlook. I'm happy to report, though, that SOURCE CODE is a better film than THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. It's nowhere near as ponderous, its script doesn't contain any lines that teeter on the ridiculous, it treats the political realm more intelligently, and its romantic plot is developed subtly enough that we can actually believe it.
Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a military officer who's supposed to be stationed in Afghanistan... except that's not what he's doing when we first see him. He wakes up on a train, completely disoriented, having no idea where he is, and being addressed as "Sean" by this girl he's never seen before, though from the casual way she talks to him, you'd swear that they really do know each other. Before Colter is able to figure anything out about what is happening to him, the train explodes with everyone in it. Suddenly, we see Colter in a capsule of sorts, and he starts communicating through a screen with another military officer, Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), who explains what is happening to him. It turns out that the train explosion that Colter was just a part of was an event that actually already happened earlier this morning. Through a "source code" that transcends the time continuum, they've managed to place Colter inside the body of Sean, one of the victims of the explosion. They're doing this because they want Colter to discover who bombed the train, NOT because they want Colter to undo the explosion (as that event is already in the past and cannot be changed), but because they suspect that the same terrorist is going to blow up downtown Chicago. Naturally, it takes a while for Colter to process all of this and to even believe it, let alone start thinking about what strategy to use to discover who the bomber is. With the "source code," Goodwin is able to repeatedly send Colter back into the train for the 8 minutes prior to the explosion, so he can use the time he gets in each attempt to discover the culprit's identity.
One of the most interesting aspects of SOURCE CODE is the fact that, as much as Colter eventually believes in the reality of the mission he is carrying out, he can't help being struck by how vivid what he witnesses on the train is, particularly when he is chatted up by Christina (Michelle Monaghan), the cheery girl who addresses him as Sean. And shock of all shocks, the interactions between these two characters are far from conventional. You'd expect that Christina is Sean's girlfriend, and that that will, of course, up the stakes and become an obstacle for Colter each time he enters the source code, but that's not the case because SOURCE CODE never resorts to easy ways of manipulating its audience. It's a better film than that. It seems that Sean and Christina had more of a quasi-friendship/quasi-flirtatious relationship, which makes the dialogue between these two characters a lot more interesting. Of course, the hindrance for Colter becomes the fact that he's not inhabiting the body of a passenger who's alone on the train, so he has to work his way around Christina as he tries to sniff out who planted the bomb.
The trailer for SOURCE CODE may turn you off because, since it looks like the movie is all about some guy who gets dozens of chances to carry out a task over and over again, you may think that this is one of those movies in which you're constantly watching the same events take place, but that's far from the case. Colter takes on different strategies on each attempt, some of which even involve getting off the train with Christina at times. The film isn't as action-based as you may think. It's more of a sci-fi movie with a mystery element to it (which will make sense to you if you've seen 2009's MOON and you're aware that this film is helmed by the same director). Admittedly, though, the "mystery element" in SOURCE CODE isn't played to much effect. Initially, it looks like the film was gonna be this cool, whodunit thriller in which you're wondering which one of the people sitting on the train is the culprit, but the film isn't really interested in startling revelations like that. It cares more about challenging you to consider what your opinion is on whether or not alternate universes exist, and to marvel at the possibility of transcending the time continuum to change certain events.
This review won't feature any spoilers, but suffice it to say that during the final 20 minutes of SOURCE CODE, the film makes its theory on those complicated subjects VERY clear. There's no room for ambiguity here (like there was in INCEPTION). I don't have a problem with a movie having a firm position on the subject it presents, but my objection here is that the film's final moments are awfully pretty and idyllic. The other issue to be had with the film is that, in an obviously forced attempt to MAKE SURE that we care about our lead character, it inserts the cliche of the strained father-son relationship. The film does such a good job at giving emotional resonance to the plight Colter faces as he struggles to carry out his mission and as he battles with the feelings he starts to have for Christina, that we certainly didn't need this, especially when it's such a conventional plot point that has been used in SO many films that feature "army guys."
Aside from its ideas on parallel universes, SOURCE CODE takes a decent amount of political jabs (at least roughly the same amount that most American films seem to take these days). The film's unique plot makes it easy for it to say an interesting thing or two about the view of soldiers as "disposable" pieces of meat that are used by the government in whatever way it sees fit. To make the criticism even sharper, the film even alludes to the possibility that some entities may view certain tragedies (like the train explosion featured repeatedly on the film) as something HELPFUL, as a stepping stone to further other interests. For its boldness to at least delve into such hot-button subjects, the film certainly deserves credit.
While I don't think the film is confounding in the least bit (in fact, it's pretty straightforward and easy to follow), I AM a little curious as to why its great cast isn't exploited as well as it should've been. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga have ALL given terrific performances elsewhere (see BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, GONE BABY GONE and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, respectively), yet their performances in SOURCE CODE are merely fine. Gyllenhaal is solid being on-screen during most of the film's running time (though I can't help but remember that he played a soldier before in JARHEAD, and was more impressive there). Monaghan doesn't have much to do except smile at first and then be confused later, while Farmiga's character goes from stern to resolute without making much of an impression.
Though you may not spend hours arguing with your friends (or on IMDB message boards) about SOURCE CODE like you did after watching INCEPTION, the film is definitely interesting in its own right. It may be a lot more mainstream than MOON, but the focus on exploring a controversial, politically "hot" subject through the filter of science fiction works just as effectively here. Rather than being a movie you'll debate with your friends, it may just be the type of movie that you'll debate with yourself, as you wonder all the ways in which your life would be different if you moved back to x point in time and changed something you did, and wonder if maybe there's another "you" out there who is living that other possibility. If a film manages to make me think about ideas like that, and it does so without blowing it all out of proportion, and without resorting to cheap tricks, it's not hard at all to recommend it.
6/10
