The best gifts you receive are often the ones you don’t expect, and that’s the perfect metaphor for “Source Code.”
Though it’s packaged as an action thriller, once you peel back the paper, you find an immensely clever and suspenseful work of science fiction.
Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a soldier taking part in a unique project called “Source Code,” in which he is allowed to inhabit the last few minutes of the recently deceased’s memories.
Taking on the role of a man killed in a terrorist train bombing, he must use the man’s final eight minutes of thought to find the bomber and prevent the next attack.
Though the movie’s scientific claims are dubious at best, it still pulls off the impressive feat of imbuing the plot with a sense of drama and tension.
This is due largely to Gyllenhaal’s impressive work as Stevens, a character who quickly rises from the generic “soldier with regrets” to one whose actions and emotional turmoil elicit not just interest but empathy.
Michelle Monaghan also does an excellent job in the supporting role of Christina, the woman in the seat across from Stevens on the train.
She slowly develops into a complete and compelling supporting character despite having only eight-minute intervals to do so.
The film is full of unexpected twists and turns, but thankfully they are not forced or contrived, allowing the suspense to build unimpeded.
