Duncan Jones made a name for himself in movieland with his 2009 debut, “Moon.” Of course, Jones’ name itself is something of a story. The son of David Bowie was known, infamously, as Zowie Bowie at his birth in 1971. He might not have completely chosen his own name — he was born Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones — but he has certainly become his own man. While he acquired his interest in science fiction from his father, he’s developing his own brand of smart sci-fi — as evidenced by “Moon” and now his sophomore effort, “Source Code.” The film begins with a Hitchcock-like opening theme that could have been written by Bernard Herrmann rather than Chris Bacon. But Jones is adept at taking inspiration from his heroes while creating something new. Some might say that “Source Code” is a ripoff of the television series “Quantum Leap.” (In a sly nod, Scott Bakula even has a voice cameo.) But as one character in the film says, “Source Code is not time travel. Source Code is time reassignment.”
| ON-SCREEN |
| ‘Source Code’ |
| » Rating: 4 out of 5 stars |
| » Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga |
| » Director: Duncan Jones |
| » Rated: PG-13 for some violence including disturbing images, and for language |
| » Running time: 93 minutes |
Jake Gyllenhaal is Capt. Colter Stevens, a decorated Air Force pilot who finds himself in another man’s body. Before he can even begin to figure out what’s going on, the train he’s traveling on explodes. But Stevens isn’t dead; his mind is catapulted back to his body, which is strapped into a chair in a room rather like a prison cell. Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) explains how the military is able to transfer his consciousness into the last eight minutes of someone’s life. He has to go back — and keep going back, until he learns who is responsible for the bomb that blew up that commuter train. Because whoever it was has planted another, deadlier bomb somewhere in Chicago.
Gyllenhaal, whose last couple of films, “Love and Other Drugs” and “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” were critical disappointments, all but carries this thinking thriller on his own. His sharp, steady performance reminds us he’s still got a strong career ahead of him. Michelle Monaghan plays the woman sitting across from him on the train, for whom the airman starts to fall — eight minutes at a time. She’s a woman who deserves to be busier. She’s beautiful, but with an ease that makes her believable as just another unlucky commuter.
Characters in thrillers often live and die — but less often face tough questions about life and death. Duncan Jones isn’t just creating his own career; he’s helping to transform a genre.
