You Have 8 Sentences to Review This Film

... Mainly out of laziness, but there you go...

Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011)


- Source Code is a spectacular blend of riveting action (hero has 8 minutes to prevent a catastrophic terrorist event); mind-bending intellectual sci-fi (he has to do this through the memory of a man who has already died, possessing his body); and heartwarming human experience (he falls for a girl on the train, makes desperate attempts to save fellow passengers, and to mend a trouble relationship with his father etc.). Okay that was a long sentence.

- This is one of the few films in recent years that we actually found too short, I would have watched another half hour I reckon.

- I am a huge fan of the sort of slow, twisting reveal that Jones pulls off in this film, in many ways it's more striking than the short-sharp-shock of a twist (favoured by Shyamalan, for example).

- I can't say any more about said twist without Spoilering all over this thing, but suffice to say the slow-burning, mounting sense that you can't presume anything you see is real is really nicely done.

- Performances here are uniformly excellent, Gyllenhaal and Farmiga especially.

- That's 'uniformly excellent' apart from Jeffrey Wright, who's slightly-too-pantomime Evil Genius jarred for me against the more genuine and believable personalities on show.

- No offense to Chris Bacon, but a Clint Mansell score would have been a thousand times better... then I'd have him score every film ever made if I could!

- Overall, just excellent - this isn't quite as 'WOW' as Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009), but Mr. Jones is certainly one to watch - I am excited.

The End.

Image from infamouskidd.com (with thanks)