The film Source Code (2011) is an intriguing science fiction thriller with a dose of stimulation of mental activity from director Duncan Jones, who presented the world with an ambiguous philosophical parable “Moon 2112”. Starting as a typical Hollywood product, an action thriller, the picture with the passage of time turns into a serious drama about the recurring day of the protagonist, who, having ceased to exist in reality, is stuck in the virtual world.
The idea is not new
Actors of the movie "Source Code", having familiarized themselves with the script of the tape from Ben Ripley, drew parallels with a number of film projects from Groundhog Day to Deja Vu. Indeed, the plot of time travel, return to the past is as old as our world. But no matter how many times writers and filmmakers have exaggerated it, it continues to excite readers and spectators.
Most often, characters return to the past to make adjustments to the future. This is the case with the Jones tape. But the novelty of the project is given by the fact that the central character does not return to his own past, but to the recent past of a specially selected object. This is necessary for a successful investigation.
Real rebus
The film "Source Code", the actors and roles of which are perfectly matched to each other, according to film critics, is an ideal cinematic product that can captivate a motley and diverse audience. The rapid development of the plot is similar to the speed of the Chicago squad - it is impossible to get distracted even for a minute. The structure of the story is very well structured: the viewer, along with the main character, trying to unravel the source code puzzles, realizes how fragile life is in the face of mortal danger.
The opinion of the creators
Actors in the movie "Source Code" noted in an interview with the media that they first starred in a project combining drama, a science fiction thriller and a detective story. And the producer of the tape, Mark Gordon, who worked on the creation of such blockbusters as "The Day After Tomorrow", "2012", "Speed" and "Saving Private Ryan", stated with confidence that in terms of entertainment, the picture would give the viewer everything that was needed.
Director Jones was sure that the audience after watching not only enjoy it, but also think about the price of life. The project rating according to IMDb is 7.50, which suggests that the creators coped with the task perfectly.
Plot
“Source Code” is a film whose actors, embodying the idea of the creators, told a very entertaining story to a wide audience.
The protagonist, U.S. military captain Colter Stevens (immaculate Jake Gyllenhaal) takes part in a secret scientific experiment, the essence of which is the transformation into the recent past (conditional), which precedes the terrorist attack on the railway. He must figure out the terrorist from the passengers present. Thanks to the unique computer development “Source Code”, the hero each time lives the last 8 minutes of the life of a dead passenger - an object with suitable physical parameters. On the train, he meets the girl Christine Warren (Michelle Monaghan), whom he falls in love with. It is now vital for Colter to recognize the villain in order to prevent a terrorist attack and save his beloved.
Actors of the film Source Code noted that this brilliant directorial move with the repetition of the same eight-minute story unobtrusively makes it clear to viewers that fate is inevitable, no matter how many times try to change circumstances.
Lead actor
Jake Gyllenhaal, the actor who starred in the movie "Source Code," earned a lot of positive reviews from filmmakers and lay reviewers. His filmography before joining Johnson's project already had several impressive paintings. If the demonstrated acting skills in the blockbuster “The Day After Tomorrow” did not cause much enthusiasm, then the ability to play in semitones without hysterical cries and simulated hypertrophied emotions in “Donny Darko” and “Zodiac” received a well-deserved positive assessment. After the rental of the rambling “Prince of Persia”, the actor rightfully received the status of a star of the first magnitude.
Initially, Topher Grace was positioned as the creator of the role of Colter Stevens. However, after the upheavals of the casting, the role was given to Gyllenhaal and did not fail. The actor brilliantly combines the eccentric confusion of Donnie Darko with the indestructibility of the Marines, giving out a range from caricature antics to animal horror.
An interesting fact is that Stevens' father was voiced by Scott Bakula - the lead actor in the television movie “Quantum Leap”, shot on the same burning topic and having similar stylistic elements with the picture “Source Code”.
Jake's partners
Gyllenhaal's partners were Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan.
Vera Farmiga is an actress of Ukrainian origin who has a successful career in Hollywood. She does not cease to impress film critics and delight fans. After the triumph in the film "I would have been in heaven," she was rightly nominated for an Oscar, and after participating in the film "Child of Darkness" received rave reviews. Her debut as a director is the film “This Dark World”, which is also of interest.
In the film "Source Code", Vera played a rather complicated role in the measure of fair and cruel Colin Goodwin. The actress agreed to participate in the production of the picture, staying in the first months of pregnancy, so all the scenes with her participation were shot in an extremely short time - literally in ten days. The character of Farmigi watched the main character throughout the entire time, giving orders through the monitor, but he does not seem to be a soulless soldier. Goodwin understood what was happening with Jake's character, and sympathized with him.
Actress Michelle Monaghan, who played the role of Christina Warren, also showed herself in all its glory. She is known to a wide audience by the films “On the hook” and “Kiss right through”, but has not yet managed to reach a well-deserved position - star status of the first magnitude. The actress is magnificent, but according to the bizarre law of the science fiction genre, all laurels went to the performer of the role of the protagonist.
In general, the actors of the movie "Source Code" coped with the task, but the tape, in fact, is a purely directorial film. All the characters were just the cogs of the mechanism, and all attention is focused on the story and its inexorable development.