Source Code is a 2011 American science-fiction action thriller film directed by Duncan Jones and written by Ben Ripley. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a U.S. Army captain who is sent into a computed reality to find a bomber. Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright play supporting roles. The film had its world premiere on March 11, 2011, at South by Southwest and was released by Summit Entertainment on April 1, 2011 in North America and Europe.
U.S. Army pilot Captain Colter Stevens wakes up on a Metra commuter train going into Chicago. Stevens is disoriented, as his last memory was himself flying on a mission in Afghanistan. However, to the world around him – including his friend Christina Warren and his reflection in the train's windows and mirrors – he appears to be a different man: a school teacher named Sean Fentress. As he expresses his confusion to Christina, the train explodes, killing everyone aboard.
Stevens abruptly awakens inside of a dimly lit cockpit. Communicating through a video screen, Air Force Captain Colleen Goodwin verifies Stevens' identity and tells him of his mission to find the train bomber before sending him back to the moment he awoke on the train. Believing he is being tested in a simulation, Stevens finds the bomb, but is unable to identify the bomber before the train explodes again.
Stevens again reawakens in his capsule, and after demanding to be briefed, learns that the train explosion actually happened, and that it was merely the first attack of a suspected series. He is sent back yet again, eight minutes before the explosion, to identify the bomber. This time, he disembarks the train (with Christina) to follow a suspect. This turns out to be a dead end, the train still explodes in the distance, and Stevens is killed by a passing train after falling onto the tracks.
The capsule power supply malfunctions as Stevens reawakens. He claims to have saved Christina, but Dr. Rutledge tells him that she was saved only inside the "Source Code". Rutledge explains that the Source Code is an experimental machine that reconstructs the past using the dead passengers' residual collective memories of eight minutes before their deaths. Therefore, the only thing that matters is finding the bomber to prevent the coming second attack.
On his next run in, Stevens learns that he was reported as killed in action two months ago. He confronts Goodwin, who reveals that he is missing most of his body and is on life support and hooked up to neural sensors. The capsule and his healthy body are "manifestations" made by his mind to make sense of the environment. Angry at this forced imprisonment, Stevens asks to be terminated after the mission, and Rutledge accepts.
After numerous attempts, Stevens identifies the bomber, a terrorist named Derek Frost. Stevens memorizes Frost's license and vehicle registration plates. He is again unable, though, to stop the train explosion. Outside Source Code, he relays his knowledge to Goodwin, which helps the police arrest Frost and prevents the second attack. Stevens is congratulated for completing his mission. Rutledge secretly reneges on his deal to let Stevens die, as he is still the only candidate who can enter Source Code.
Being more sympathetic to his plight, Goodwin sends Stevens back one last time and promises to disconnect his life support after eight minutes. This time, he sets a date with Christina, defuses the bomb, apprehends Frost, and reports him to the police. He calls his father under the guise of a fellow soldier and reconciles with him, and sends Goodwin an email. After eight minutes, Goodwin terminates Stevens' life support.
As the world around him continues to progress beyond eight minutes, Stevens confirms his suspicion that Source Code is not merely a simulation, but rather a machine that allows him to create alternate timelines. Christina and he leave the train and go on a date. In the same (alternate) reality, Goodwin receives Stevens' message. He tells her of Source Code's true capability and asks her to help the alternate-reality version of him.
- Jake Gyllenhaal as Captain Colter Stevens
- Michelle Monaghan as Christina Warren
- Vera Farmiga as Captain Colleen Goodwin
- Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Rutledge
- Michael Arden as Derek Frost
- Russell Peters as Max Denoff
- Scott Bakula as Donald Stevens, Colter's father
- Frédérick De Grandpré as Sean Fentres
- Cas Anvar as Hazmi
