Source Code

Title: Source Code

Director: Duncan Jones

Genre: Action/Adventure; Sci-Fi

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan

You have 8 minutes to save millions of lives…

No pressure, right?

Captain Colter Stevens does indeed feel the pressure. He also feels confused when he wakes up and discovers he's in the body of another man. The last thing he remembers is being stationed in Afghanistan but now he's on an important government mission to stop a bomber targeting Chicago.

Not only is a bomber trying to create havoc but Colter finds out he's part of a secret program called the "Source Code" where he is being crossed over into another man during the last eight minutes of his life.

He is charged with finding the bomb on a train, finding the man who planted it there and he is allowed to use whatever force necessary to get his answers…

Oh, yeah, and he only has 8 minutes until he's blown to bits. But don't worry because when he blows up they'll just send him back. Again. And Again.

So this movie was kind of like and action packed ground hog day. And instead of Bill Murray we get the total hottie Jake Gyllenhaal. I wasn't a fan of Ground Hog Day but I did like this movie.

But I have a confession to make: this movie gave me high blood pressure. It's a real nail biter and it elicited some emotions in me as I watching. I was beyond frustrated for most of the movie, but I wasn't frustrated AT the movie; I was frustrated because I was probably supposed to be. I mean this guy wakes up in the body of someone else, on a train and this woman starts talking to him like they know each other. He has no clue what's going on because he's a solider and he isn't supposed to be in the States.

Then he blows up.

This time he wakes up in his body but he isn't on the train. Nope. He's in this little cell thing and this government employee is talking to him through a screen. She won't answer any of his questions about where he is, what happened and where his men are. She keeps asking him about a bomb he knows nothing about.

It really made me mad. I mean give the guy some information, you know? If you want him to do something at least tell him why. Now, throughout the movie he does learn more and things aren't quite as frustrating.

It's kind of fun to try and figure things out along with him- like who the bomber is. And sometimes he does crazy things because who cares- he's going to blow up anyway.

While I liked the suspense and thought the movie had a cool hook, I didn't really think that it was believable. The whole concept just isn't possible to me. And then the end- when they show where Colter's body is…I mean the whole thing just isn't plausible.

And then I was upset because of how Colter was being treated. Frankly, he wasn't being treated any better than a lab rat. This is the most upsetting thing for me in the movie. I mean, you have a decorated solider whose bravery and clear distress at not knowing if his men were safe was tangible. They treated him horribly, using him and not giving him any peace. I don't really want to go into details because it gives away parts of the movie.

I will say that my favorite quote in the movie was when the scientist guy asks Colter if he wants to be service to his country. Colter says something like "I always thought one death was service enough." Indeed. It just makes me shudder that the government might try something like this on a solider – on anyone.

Colleen Goodwin (played by Vera Farmiga) was one of my most favorite characters. At first you see this woman who was dedicated to her job, mostly unfeeling about Colter's obvious distress. It makes you hate her. I mean how can you turn down a man who is begging to talk to his father? He isn't asking for much but she completely turns that compassionate side off. But then, throughout the course of the movie you can see her begin to shift and change, you can see that even she isn't as hardened to Colter as you might have believed. In fact, in my eyes she becomes every bit of a hero as Colter. For me, her actions at the end of the movie make some of the injustice and frustration I was feeling go away. (Which, wheew, that was a good thing because I was about to break out the Gin!)

Overall, the movie was entertaining. It was a nail biter and Gyllenhaal was easy to look at. It was kind of unbelievable but it really didn't need to be. I would recommend this movie for any action junkies, hottie seekers, and people who like an entertaining ride.

Will you get high blood pressure when watching this movie? Maybe. If you take blood pressure medicine be sure to load up before you hit play. Or just have a drink at your elbow (No, I am not advocating getting drunk, I said ONE drink). I would say do not watch this movie if you have already had a high strung day and want to relax, because you won't be able to.

Go forth and watch Source Code and then tell me what you thought of movie and then ponder this…

What would you do if you had one minute left to live?

So there you have it. My opinion.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert