Gyllenhaal stars as Captain Colter Stevens who suddenly wakes up in someone else's life, with someone else's wife and with a face that is not his own. And then the train explodes. Stevens is actually strapped into a big honking machine called the source code that can jump his mind, Quantum Leap-style, into someone's else mind for eight minutes to help discover who's responsible for the bombing before they strike again. And of course, he also will fall in love, reconnect with his father, finally show up at his son's crucial little league game, learn the true meaning of Christmas, etc. etc. With Duncan Jones (who directed the brilliant Moon) behind the camera, and with ringers like Jeffery Wright and Vera Farmiga rounding out the cast, it certainly has a terrific pedigree.
Depending how much they're able to balance the laughing and the learning with the bomb exploding, this seems like it could be a good Inception-esque thriller with brains that explores the nature of human connection and consciousness. Or you could just enjoy Jake Gyllenhaal exploding dozens of times over an hour and a half.
VERDICT: (A Qualified) Sold!