Source Code

Source Code

Aviation captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man. It soon turns out that he is involved in the task of neutralizing a terrorist who detonated a suburban train in Chicago. In the course of the assignment, Stevens discovers that he has become part of a government experiment called Prime Code, a program that allows him to impersonate another person in the last eight minutes of his life. Chicago is threatened by a second, more powerful explosion that could kill millions of people. And Colter relives the disaster again and again, gathering new evidence each time to prevent the next explosion. Read more Article. About the creation of the film Screenwriter Ben Ripley offered producer Mark Gordon an original idea about a man who finds a way to travel back in time for a short time. "Ben proposed an amazing idea for the film," says Gordon. "We worked with him for six months or an hour. When you're looking for a co-author, you hope that he will have his own opinion, but at the same time he will listen to others. Ben is just like that." "I am fascinated by films in which the story is told unconventionally," he says. "It occurred to me that the first experiments in the field of time travel will not be particularly ambitious - we will not fly hundreds of years back. A few minutes or hours will be enough to begin with. It is even possible to imagine that the technology will arise in some laboratory purely by chance and immediately go to the Ministry of Defense, although at first they will not know what to do with it. Our hero can go back only for eight minutes, and this gives drama to the action - during this time it is possible to gather only a limited amount of information." After working out the script with Ripley, Gordon sent his ego to actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who immediately agreed to the role of special agent Colter Stevens. "Jake and I worked together on the film "The Day After Tomorrow", - says Gordon, - after that we kept in touch and were looking for a new joint project. He immediately had many useful ideas. Jake became an important component of the film." Almost all of the action of the film takes place on a suburban Chicago train, carrying passengers for whom such trips are a daily routine. But for one of the passengers, the day begins unexpectedly. Colter Stevens, a military pilot of the US Army, finds himself on this train quite unexpectedly. "He doesn't understand where he is, how he got here," says Gyllenhaal. "A girl named Christina is sitting opposite him, who clearly knows him." And in the window reflection, he sees his face - only it's not his face." Soon Colter realizes that he was transferred to this train from the near future. "The technology of the source code is not fully understood even by the characters of the film, - says Riply. – What happens to the source code when we leave it? We don't know. Did he exist before us, or did we create him? We don't know that either." Gyllenhaal, who after participating in "Donna Darko", a cult film about time travel, is not used to such ideas, was intrigued by the plot and his character. After agreeing to the main role, he immediately offered the producers and director Duncan Jones, whose first film "Luna 2112" made a huge impression on the actor: "It was magnificent from the first frame to the last. I watched and understood that Duncan perfectly feels the cinematic language. I immediately wanted to work with him." Gordon watched "Luna 2112" and met with Duncan Jones. "He perfectly used one space and one actor in his film, - says Gordon. - We also needed this skill. A significant part of the film takes place in one or two carriages, but this should not cause claustrophobia." "The most interesting thing was to solve the riddles that the plot suggested - says Jones. - For example, the number of places of action is limited, and almost all of them are closed. How can we relate this to the characters, considering that when they return there, they should feel the changes, even the most insignificant ones? Understanding came over time, as the filming progressed. The beauty of the script is that every episode involves research. Colter enters each repetition, or "source code", with increasing knowledge. Every time he brings something new to the situation. It was necessary to figure out how to preserve the uniqueness of each "source code" and not lose the attention of the audience." The director believes that "Source Code" is an excellent example of the new wave of fantasy films: "The mixture of humor and elements of science fiction appeals to the viewer who does not need to wade through the thickets of deep scientific theories. He can just enjoy the development of the plot." Gordon is sure that there is something else in the film, in addition to pure entertainment: "Of course, there is enough action in it, it is a great thriller, - says the producer. - In terms of entertainment, this film provides everything you need. But when the final credits roll, I want the audience to leave the cinema not only having enjoyed the plot, but also thinking about how precious life is. Whether it's eight minutes or a whole life, you need to cherish it. We all have failures and failures, but, in general, life is beautiful and amazing. It may seem sentimental, but I think that after watching the film, you will begin to appreciate her - because the character of Jake got a second chance."