Duncan Jones exploded on the scene with 2009’s Moon, a quiet and affecting indie sci-fi film that explored the loneliness of a man (Sam Rockwell) stationed on a mining base on the moon for five years. There was a twist of sorts, but it came early in the film and the rest of the runtime was devoted to exploring the implications of that plot turn. It was handsomely shot and elevated immeasurably by Clint Mansell’s score and Rockwell’s astounding performance. Now two years later, Duncan Jones has returned with his sophomore effort, a project that he took as more or less a director-for-hire gig. The resulting film is a mixed bag, demonstrating Jones’ ample talents in the service of a messy script.
Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a train with no recollection of how he got there. He meets a woman (Michelle Monaghan) who seems to know him by a different name and the ID in his wallet identifies him as someone else entirely. Before he can discover what is going on the train violently explodes. Capt. Stevens then awakes in a metallic chamber, where he is strapped in to some sort of console. He is informed by a military contact (Vera Farmiga) on a video monitor that he is in “the Source Code”, a program that allows someone to relive the last eight minutes of another person’s life. A bomb has detonated on a train earlier in the day and they are intent on catching the bomber before he strikes again. To this end they send Capt. Stevens in again and again, in the hopes that he can determine the identity of the bomber. As he ventures over and over into the Source Code, Stevens slowly comes to realize more about the nature of the operation he’s on and his true mission.
Source Code boasts an intriguing premise with a great central hook, sort of like Groundhog Day meets Déjà Vu. And for the first 75% of the film it works like gangbusters. Jones does a great job of keeping the audience guessing at the mysteries of the film. Each time Capt. Stevens returns to the Source Code there is something different about the scenario he faces and it is a pleasure discovering the secrets that the film has in store for us. Jones also brings a light touch to the proceedings; the film is surprisingly funny at moments and it admirably shies away from being too self serious. The cast is game, and Gyllenhaal in particular impresses in a way that he hasn’t been able to recently, selling us the character’s frustration with his situation and his determination to escape this dilemma. Vera Farmiga gives a terrific and understated performance, quietly letting the audience in on he mounting dissatisfaction with the mission as it reaches its conclusion. Even a last minute change of heart from her character feels much less jarring than it might on the page because of her subtle acting.
The script is really where the problems for this movie start. Some of the characters fall flat, some due to underwritten parts (Monaghan has little to no purpose) or due to hammy overacting (Jeffrey Wright chews as much scenery as he can in his role as the creator of the Source Code). Also, due to the nature of the sci-fi conceit, we’re never quite clear on what the stakes are. We are told that there will be another detonation in a city, but since we spend 90% of our time in the Source Code that threat seems removed from the main action of the film. Furthermore, Stevens’ continued attempts to stop the bomb from detonating on the train lack resonance because, as we are told repeatedly, the train has already exploded. The Source Code is just a projection, so nothing that the Captain does has any bearing on reality as we know it.
That particular problem wouldn’t even be an issue if the film had stuck the course of where it seemed to be going thematically. Much like Moon there is a “twist” of sorts midway through and, also like Moon, the film takes this an opportunity to delve further into its sci-fi themes. I was thrilled when the twist arrived because suddenly the film’s connection to Moon became much clearer and it was interesting to view the film within the context of Jones’ growing body of work. It all builds to an ending that is satisfying on a narrative level and is consistent with what we have been told thus far. However, that isn’t the actual end of the film. Instead we get another ten minutes or so in which we are rewarded with a cheap, Hollywood ending where “all is right with the world.” It doesn’t make any sense given what we know about the mechanics of the Source Code and it feels cheap, swapping a thought-provoking finale for warmed-over, second hand sentiment.
Until that lackluster finale, Source Code distinguishes itself as a thriller that actually thrills while provoking questions about the nature of reality and how we can define what we consider to be real in our own mind. Duncan Jones is able to tackle a dynamic action/mystery as well as he did a sobering drama. Though he is let down by his script, Source Code remains an interesting, mostly engaging film that demonstrates what Jones can do when afforded the opportunity to work within a big studio.
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