Source Code

Upon seeing the first trailer for Source Code one could easily think that this is a movie that is basically the same storyline as that of Deja Vu. This thought could be farther from the truth though as Source Code ends up being a great edge of your seat action movie that makes you wonder exactly what will happen next. While initially it is easy to think that this is going to be a cookie cutter Hollywood thriller, it is far from that. Source Code does not waste anytime as right from the first moment the audience is thrust right into the story and from second one to the end the audience is on the edge of their seat. Source Code does not waste anytime setting up the story like what happens in most movies. 

Source Code is not a cliched mediocre action movie. The movie avoids being predictable and instead wants to be smart and mind-bending. Duncan Jones directs this movie superbly and comes across as a director that does not focus on huge action sequences like a Michael Bay movie. Instead the focus becomes on not only the overall plot but also allows us to see other small subplots that would be lost in huge action sequences with massive explosions. Jones is smart to allow the story to keep you on the edge of your seat as this naturally makes this movie a thinker that gets you thinking about what amounts of science fiction could actually be a reality someday.

The acting in Source Code is right on par with what is needed in a Hollywood action thriller. Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job and really with him being the part that truly has the most screen time it comes down to him to be able to successfully move the action forward and makes the whole story exciting. Michelle Monaghan in the love interest plays the part with an innocence that really endears the audience to her and helps them root for Gyllenhaal's character to not only find out who is behind the train bombing but that it would actually be possible for Gyllenhaal to prevent the train bombing from happening so that the girl can be saved. the two main supporting characters of Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright give good performances and Farmiga does a great job particularly in her interactions with Gyllenhaal through computer screens.

The part of the story that really worked in a strong way was that of the ability to avoid feeling repetitive. The repetitive feeling was an easy trap that could have been fallen into especially since Source Code focuses on the same eight minutes over and over again. They are able to be successful at keeping the story fresh because Gyllenhaal's character goes about each eight minutes with a different aspect. The musical score for Source Code has a little bit of an older feel to it that works well with this story.

Source Code ends up being a movie that is nearly just as good as Limitless. both Source Code and Limitless have a very similar reason behind why they were so good. It's smart, intriguing and indeed fairly original. Source Code ends up making you question things and truly keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time as you try to figure out what will happen before it happens. Gyllenhaal gives a strong performance and has a good supporting cast with him. Source Code while it may seem short at 93 minutes packs a punch every minute of it and it does not seem to be too short because the story just does not stop.

I am giving Source code three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that I will be definitely adding to the DVD collection.

-The Movie Man

-The Movie Man