Film Review: Source Code

Source Code. Rated M (science fiction themes, violence and infrequent coarse language). 93 minutes. Directed by Duncan Jones. Screenplay by Ben Ripley.

Just as he did with his stunning debut feature Moon (2009), Jones escorts us flawlessly into a fantastic science fiction-infused world of parallel realities featuring a main character (armed forces helicopter pilot Colter Stevens played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who exists in circumstances not of their choosing. It’s a complex and fascinating set-up – perfectly matched here by the excellent performances of Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan (Due Date), Vera Farmiga (Up in the air) and Jeffrey Wright (Quantum of Solace).

When he awakes up from a trance-like sleep, Stevens is utterly bewildered to find himself onboard a train that is speeding toward Chicago with his ‘girlfriend’ Christina (Monaghan). Minutes later, after a series of beautifully observed details of onboard run-of-the-mill activity, an exploding bomb kills everyone – except Stevens, who begins to learn the reason for his new existence and the terrible circumstances of the situation in which he now finds himself.

Jones, cinematographer Don Burgess (The Book of Eli, Spider-Man, Castaway) and editor Paul Hirsch (Mission: Impossible) don’t miss a beat, and Ripley’s tight screenplay (with an obvious debt to Christopher Nolan’s Inception) manages to efficiently and inventively negotiate the multitude of complex layers between altered realities and each new resulting circumstance. Only once (in a pointless and verbose sequence where the ‘source code’ of the title is explained) does the script risk crossing the line between patronising us with techno-babble and trusting that we are more than capable of suspending disbelief and going along for the ride.

Ms Farmiga’s wonderful performance as ‘Colleen Goodwin’ is mostly responsible for the success of the way in which the story unfolds, and her handling of the difficult challenges associated with defining precisely what kind of future Stevens will experience are beautifully handled – providing the film with its unexpectedly haunting ending.

Ultimately though, the grand themes associated with ‘what you would change about your life if you were given the opportunity’ and ‘making every second count’ roll out with an eery familiarity, but Source Code is most definitely a film worth spending the time deciphering.

Pictured: Jake Gyllenhaal and Vera Farmiga in Source Code.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.

DVD Review: Moon

Moon. 93 minutes. Rated M. Directed by Duncan Jones. Written by Nathan Parker from an original story by Duncan Jones.

All too rarely, a movie comes along that, on the surface at least, is apparently incredibly simple and understated. But as it slowly begins to unfold, it reveals itself to be fantastically original and complex, and before long, you somewhat unexpectedly find yourself under its spell. Moon is one such film. Directed by Duncan Jones (the son of David Bowie), Moon is a mesmerising little masterpiece that slowly hypnotises you with its nihilistic vision of not only the future of lunar exploration and the possible exploitation of the planet's resources, but also the very essence of our human identity, fallibility, beliefs and values.

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is employed by Lunar Industries to oversee giant harvesters that extract helium-3 from the moon's surface. With only his computer assistant GERTY (superbly voiced by Kevin Spacey) for company, Sam must ensure that once the machines have harvested a certain quota of the precious element, it is jettisoned safely back to earth in canisters where it will aid the development of our planet's clean energy programs. But with only two weeks to go before his three-year contract expires and his replacement arrives, a near-fatal accident involving one of the harvesters threatens his return to earth.

As the lonely engineer who appears to be slowly losing his mind, Rockwell is magnificent. It is a tour de force performance of such immense skill and craftsmanship, that you practically forget that this is, essentially, a film with only one actor in it. He is helped enormously by Parker's marvellously engrossing, lean, mean and inventive script from Jones's fact-based story (the scientific community are actually researching ways to harvest Helium-3 from lunar soil and the film was screened privately for NASA's scientists).

While it lovingly references previous films of the sci-fi genre (particularly Soylent Green, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running and Blade Runner), Moon's modest special effects are less concerned with flashy explosions and random space-based exotica, and consist of exemplary model and miniature work (supervised by Alien and Casino Royale Model Master Bill Pearson). And like director Ridley Scott, Jones has the ability to employ the services of his gifted special effects crew to serve his vision and drive the story forward – not distract from it.

But it is Rockwell (who was the voice of guinea pig Darwin in G-Force and who is also starring in Iron Man 2) whose virtuoso performance brings this extraordinary film to life. For those film-lovers who are more than a little fatigued by big expensive flashy epics and want a film that will have you thinking and contemplating the very nature of our existence for days afterwards – Moon is the film for you.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspapers Group and was published in the print edition of the Midwest Times.