Source Code is a 2011 American science fiction techno-thriller film directed by Duncan Jones, written by Ben Ripley, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Russell Peters and Jeffrey Wright. The film had its world premiere on March 11, 2011 at South by Southwest (SXSW),^[4] and was released by Summit Entertainment on April 1, in North America and Europe.

Source Code received highly positive reviews from critics,^[5] and grossed over $147 million worldwide.^[3]

Plot[link]

Army helicopter pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), last aware of being on a mission in Afghanistan, wakes up on a commuter train traveling to Chicago. He finds that to the world around him – including his traveling partner Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) and the bathroom mirror – he appears to be Sean Fentress, a school teacher. As he comes to grips with this revelation, the train car explodes, killing everyone aboard.

Stevens regains consciousness inside an unfamiliar cockpit. Through a screen, Air Force Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) verifies Stevens's identity. She explains Stevens is in the "Source Code", an experimental device created by Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), scientist. The Code allows its user to experience the last eight minutes of another compatible person's life within an alternate timeline.^[6] Stevens's mission is to use Source Code to discover the location of a bomb aboard the train and identify the bomber who detonated it. Goodwin explains that the train explosion occurred that morning, and was a warning by the bomber as a precursor to a larger dirty bomb that will be detonated in downtown Chicago.

During one of Stevens's attempts, he learns that the train explosion occurred two months after an incident in Afghanistan which reportedly killed him. Once he discovers this, he demands more information from Goodwin. She explains that the remains of his body are in fact on life-support at the Source Code facility while his mind is hooked up to a computer system, the cockpit being a mental projection of his own mind to cope with the experience. Angered to discover this, Stevens requests that his life support be terminated after the mission is completed, to which Dr. Rutledge agrees.

Stevens eventually identifies both the bomber, a young man, Derek Frost (Michael Arden), and the rented white van that he will use to carry the bomb into the center of Chicago. On his return, Stevens's information is successfully used by the military to capture Frost before he can trigger the bomb. Stevens is praised as a hero, but in private, Rutledge tells Goodwin to renege on the deal, and instead to wipe Stevens's memory so he can be used the next time there is such an incident. Stevens learns that the promise to him has been violated, and convinces Goodwin to let him return to Source Code once more, after which she will disable his life support, against Rutledge's orders.

Once back aboard the train, Stevens disarms the bomb, subdues Frost, and handcuffs him to a railing. Stevens calls the authorities to identify Frost and inform them of the location of the dirty bomb. He then calls his estranged father under the guise of a fellow soldier, mending the emotional distance between them. He challenges an embittered comic (Russell Peters) to perform a stand-up routine on the train, causing laughter throughout the entire train car, and then takes Christina aside. Asking her what she would do if she knew that she only had seconds left to live, Stevens begins to kiss her as his last seconds run out. As promised, at this exact moment, Goodwin disables his life-support and the scene reveals his actual, physical body as severely mutilated and comatose. Time freezes, but Stevens is surprised to find himself finishing the kiss, still aboard the train with Christina. He realizes that he will remain in the alternate timeline of the un-bombed train. The train arrives safely in Chicago, and he and Christina walk together and discuss their future.

Later that morning, Goodwin arrives for work at Nellis Air Force Base and receives an email that Stevens had sent earlier, just as news breaks of the failed bombing attempt in Chicago. The email explains that the Source Code effectively allows the user to change history within alternate timelines. Stevens' email ends with him telling Goodwin that when his alternate self in this timeline is used in a future Source Code mission, Goodwin should help him, and tell him that "everything is going to be OK."

Cast[link]

• Jake Gyllenhaal as Capt. Colter Stevens
• Michelle Monaghan as Christina Warren
• Vera Farmiga as Capt. Colleen Goodwin
• Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Rutledge
• Russell Peters as Max Denoff
• Cas Anvar as Hazmi
• Michael Arden as Derek Frost
• Scott Bakula as Donald Stevens, Colter's father (Voice cameo)
• Frédérick De Grandpré as Sean Fentress (Reflection)

Production[link]

Pre-production[link]

David Hahn, the boy depicted in the 2003 made-for-television documentary The Nuclear Boy Scout,^[7] was the inspiration for the antagonist Derek Frost.^[8] In an article published by the Writers Guild of America, screenwriter Ben Ripley is described as providing the original pitch to the studios responsible for producing Source Code:^[9]

Ripley first came up with the idea for Source Code, in which government operative Colter Stevens repeatedly relives the eight minutes leading up to a terrorist train bombing in hopes of finding the bomber, he had no intention of writing it on spec. Having established himself in Hollywood largely doing "studio rewrites on horror movies," he felt a solid pitch would do the trick. Unfortunately, it didn't. "I sat down with a few producers, and the first couple just looked at me like I was nuts," confesses Ripley. "Ultimately, I had to put it on the page to make my case."

After seeing Moon, Gyllenhaal lobbied for Jones to direct Source Code; Jones liked the fast-paced script; as he later said, "there were all sorts of challenges and puzzles and I kind of like solving puzzles, so it was kind of fun for me to work out how to achieve all these difficult things that were set up in the script."^[10]

In the ending scene, Jake Gyllenhaal's and Michelle Monaghan's characters are seen walking through Millennium Park, and make their way to the Cloud Gate. In a 2011 interview, Gyllenhaal discussed how director Duncan Jones felt the structure was a metaphor for the movie's subject matter, and aimed for it to feature at the beginning and end of the movie.^[11]

Filming[link]

Principal photography began on March 1, 2010 in Montreal, Canada and ended on April 29, 2010.^[12] Several scenes were shot in Chicago, Illinois, specifically at Millennium Park and the Main Building at the Illinois Institute of Technology, although the sign showing the name of the latter, in the intersection of 31st Street and S LaSalle Street was edited out.^{[citation needed]}

Post-production[link]

Editing took place in Los Angeles. In July 2010, the film was in the visual effects stage of post-production.^[13] Jones had confirmed that the film's soundtrack would be composed by Clint Mansell, in his second collaboration with the composer.^[14] However, it was later announced that Mansell would no longer score the movie's soundtrack due to time constraints,^[15] and he was replaced by Chris P. Bacon.^[15]

Release[link]

Box office performance[link]

Source Code was released in theaters on April 1, 2011. In the United States and Canada, Source Code was released theatrically in 2,961 conventional theaters.^[16] The film grossed $54,712,227 during its run with midnight screenings in 2,961 locations.^[17] Overall the film made $14,812,094 and debuted at #2 on its opening weekend.^[16]

Critical reception[link]

Source Code received highly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 91% "Certified Fresh" approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on an aggregation of 231 reviews and offers the consensus; "Finding the human story amidst the action, director Duncan Jones and charming Jake Gyllenhaal craft a smart, satisfying sci-fi thriller."^[5] Metacritic has awarded the film an average score 74/100 based on 41 reviews.^[21] Critics have compared Source Code with the 1993 film Groundhog Day,^[22][23][24] or called it a "cross between Groundhog Day and Murder on the Orient Express."^[25] Arizona Republic film critic Bill Goodykoontz says comparing Source Code to Groundhog Day is doing a disservice to Source Code's enthralling "mind game."^[26]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "Confounding, exhilarating, challenging – and the best movie I've seen so far in 2011."^[5] Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, calling it "an ingenious thriller" where "you forgive the preposterous because it takes you to the perplexing."^[27] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called Ben Ripley's script "cleverly constructed" and a film "crisply directed by Duncan Jones", while also praising the "cast with the determination and ability to really sell its story."^[28] CNN called Ripley's script "ingenious" and the film "as authoritative an exercise in fractured storytelling as Christopher Nolan's Memento"; Gyllenhaal is "more compelling here than he's been in a long time."^[25] IGN gave it a 2.5/5, saying "Gyllenhaal brings sincerity and warmth to his role, but his conviction only helps the movie so far before it ultimately buckles under the weight of its plot mechanics." Lumino Magazine Reviewer Matt Kolthof, loved the film giving it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars, saying "Altogether the film holds itself strong with powerful performances, a productive storyline, and a suspense that leads to blazing, breakneck action and passionate romance." He also related to such films as Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as it had a '70's sci-fi feel to it, remarking "This movie really rejuvenates old time sci-fi films." ^[29]

Accolades[link]

Home media[link]

Source Code was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc simultaneously in the US on July 26, 2011,^[33][34] with the UK release on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (as well as a combined DVD/Blu-ray Disc package) on August 15, 2011.^[35] In the UK, there was also a DVD released featuring a 3D cover.

Possible television series[link]

On January 4, 2012, it was revealed that a television series is in development to air on CBS with Mark Gordon and Steve Maeda as producers.^[36]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Source Code at the Internet Movie Database
• Source Code at AllRovi
• Source Code at Rotten Tomatoes
• Source Code at Metacritic
• Source Code at Box Office Mojo