According to programming lingo, “source code” is the underlying language that establishes the rules that govern a computer system. In Source Code, a cerebral and engrossing sci-fi mystery, the titular “code” is a top-secret government project that promises to send the consciousness of one person (say, a soldier played by Jake Gyllenhaal) into the body of another person. Of course there are a few catches: You can only jump into people after they’re dead, and you only get to replay the last eight minutes of their lives.
While these ground rules limit the technology’s applications, the government has a very specific use in mind: Gyllenhaal’s Captain Coulter Stevens will jump into the body of a passenger on a commuter train bound for Chicago that has already been destroyed in a terrorist attack. The bomber has promised more spectacular violence is imminent, and Stevens is tasked with figuring out which of his fellow riders is the culprit before nuclear hell is unleashed on the Second City.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.