"Source Code" review by Ben Kenber

The best way to describe “Source Code?” It’s “Groundhog Day” meets “Quantum Leap.” It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Captain Colter Stevens, an army helicopter pilot who suddenly finds himself on a mission to find a bomber who blew up a Chicago bound train and killed everyone onboard. The movie’s title refers to a special program that allows him to enter the body of one of the passengers on that train for the last eight minutes of their life. So basically, this is “Groundhog Day” with a much, much shorter time schedule.

This is a great concept for a movie as we all have those moments that are as painful as they are unforgettable. Whether we admit or not, we keep playing them back in our minds over and over again, changing the outcome to something that is more pleasing to our ego and sense of well being. Even though it does us no good to dwell on the past, we fall into those patterns when our present isn’t all that great, and our future is more uncertain than we would like it to be. Through the breakthroughs of science, Jake gets to relive a moment that (while not his own) allows him to change things even if it’s in an alternate reality.

Of course, we can replay a moment from our lives to where we can no longer remember what was real or what was not. This movie explores that as well, making one believe that if our lives were predestined, they won’t be anymore thanks to science!

“Source Code” is director Duncan Jones’ follow up to “Moon” which itself was one of the very best movies of 2009. Like “Moon,” its main character is caught up in a situation not entirely of his making, but which becomes clear as the plot rolls along. Like Jake’s character, we are making discoveries about who he is along with him, and we will probably not like all the answers we find.

From the outset, this movie looks to be a whodunit, but that ceases to be the case before the story reaches its midpoint. Besides, it’s pretty easy to figure out who the bomber is, and it’s only a matter of time before Jake confronts that person to learn their true intentions. In actuality, it’s about a man caught up in a situation that he has no control over, and of how he gets that control back in a way no one can predict.

Jake Gyllenhaal remains one of the most dependable actors in movies today, and he doesn’t let the audience down in this one. In many ways, his performance is not too different from others he’s given in recent years, so there’s not much new to what he does here. All the same, he’s very good, so why complain? Jake engages us emotionally in his character’s struggle as, like him, we don’t know how we got into this and we are desperate to get answers.

Duncan does great work in making each visit to the same eight minutes unique from the others Jake gets unwillingly subjected to. “Source Code” could have been redundant as hell, and certain moments and actions are repeated ad nauseam throughout, but each eight minute period has a different theme or construction to it. There are various people Jake has to meet, and there are other things for him to take advantage of in the little time he has to work with. Jake’s character also pulls out the rug from under us to where once the bomber is found, he finds there is still work to do.

Aside from Jake, “Source Code” also features other strong performances like the one from Vera Farmiga who was so great in “The Departed” and “Up In The Air.” Her character of Captain Colleen Goodwin at first looks to be Jake’s embattled conscience, but it’s really the other way around. Vera is great in taking a typical military stock character and giving her a heart and soul that strongly informs the decisions her character later makes.

Also in the film is Jeffrey Wright who plays the creator of Source Code, Dr. Rutledge. This could have been a simple obsessive doctor, one mad with power, or one that is overly cruel. Somehow, Jeffrey succeeds in making Rutledge something of an enigma to where you’re not quite sure what to make of him. He may not be a mad scientist, but he’s also not the warm kind either.

And of course we have the infinitely lovely Michelle Monaghan here as Christina Warren, girlfriend to the man Jake’s character inhabits. Whether its “Mission: Impossible 3,” “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” or “Gone Baby Gone,” she always has a wonderful presence about her, and her smile brightens our mood every time we see it. And like many actresses I tend to have a crush on, she is already married (darn).

Is “Source Code” an original movie? Probably not, but it sure feels like it compared to most movies today which, if they’re not remakes, are simply not so subtle reflections of last year’s biggest hits. You could even say that there is a bit of “Inception” in this story as it involves searching through the mind of another person. But it’s a pointless argument because not much of anything is original these days. It becomes a quest to take elements from other movies or stories and make them your own, and Duncan has succeeded in doing that here.

Duncan Jones is quickly becoming one of the most inventive directors in movies today, and I am eager to see where he goes from here. While “Source Code” is a bit confusing at times, and I didn’t quite buy the movie’s concluding act, it’s an enthralling mystery with a good dose of exciting action. Hopefully Hollywood studios will start taking the time in being more openly inventive instead of joust regurgitating the past.

Still, it would be nice to change some of the more painful moments from our past so that we can look at ourselves in a kinder light. While it is best to make peace and forgive ourselves for our foolish trespasses, science is always catching up with us. Just you wait!

* * * ½ out of * * * *