Didn't Tom Cruise do a
movie more recently with this basic premise, but with more special
effects and a worse script? 'Source Code' Starts intriguingly.
Apparently Stevens knows as little as we do. We soon discover the
basic situation, and I am pleased to find that I will be guaranteed
to a train explosion every eight minutes.
The shooting style is
fairly basic, similar to most action orientated movies. There are few
interesting angles or sequences that stand out purely from a
cinematographic point of view. This doesn't take away from the movie
as a whole though (it just means less bonus points), as it is very plot driven. The most important
aspects are the actors and the writing here. The writing is good, and
all the actors do well (Jake Gyllenhaal in particular).
Also, I've never seen a
two story train before - am I malnourished, train-wise?
For such a necessarily
repetitive film, it's filled with twists and turns. It's a triumph of
character creation that their relationship can seemingly progress
just by repeating the same eight minutes over and over. While she
does not change, his attitude towards her does. Much of the plot of
this feels like '12 Monkeys', though with a very different filming
style and tone
The fact that he has
been dead for a while is a nice reveal, and I think the movie ends
well. He saves a load of people in the real world, before going back
and saving the train in the source code. This doesn't matter, as far
as we are concerned, but really it matters at least as much as what
happens in “reality”. Real life is only what you perceive it to
be, the only difference between fiction and non-fiction is in our
heads. None of it matters, or it all does. As he dies and his new
life just keeps ticking along I wondered if he was now permanently in
an alternate universe, or if this was just to pacify a Hollywood
audience. But I don't think it matters either way.
That actress must have
gotten bored of saying “So I took your advice, it was very good
advice.”
Source Code: 63.9