Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Beleaguered Castle

Source Code is the kind of movie that has a perfect script. In fact, the director of a feature like this is largely irrelevant. The writer is a dude named Ben Ripley.
The screenplay is brilliantly conservative. There are arguably three sets: the train, the control room, and the "capsule". Other than that there are a few exteriors, maybe a train station, etc. It doesn't matter -- it's an action film written like a stage play. Or maybe that's the other way around, a stage play that's an action film.
It is very well acted. I particularly liked Vera Farmiga as the Captain.
And I have an apostasy to pronounce upon it. One for which I am sure I shall be forced at gunpoint to write a Confession and Recantation but:
Source Code is better than 12 Monkeys.
And I'm a huge Terry Gilliam fan. And my buddy Ernest Abuba is in 12 Monkeys.
But the script to Source Code is just so good it doesn't matter. My only question about the picture is the name. "Source Code"? To me it doesn't even make sense after having watched the movie. But the movie is nigh on perfect. And what were they going to do? Call it "Beleaguered Castle?" Yeah, I didn't think so. ;-)

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