They’re on a commuter train. She (Michelle Monaghan) keeps calling him “Sean.” He (Jake Gyllenhaal) keeps telling her he’s not Sean. He’s Captain Colter Stevens, a decorated military man off an Army helicopter in Afghanistan. And then our movie keeps repeating an odd series of events that lead to the train exploding over and over. (much like many recent sci-fi-ish action thrillers – think Inception meets Denzel Washington in Déjà vu.) But because Gyllenhaal keeps getting the chance to make the train bombing go right (or wrong) it’s got a bit of Groundhog Day thrown in. But the movie isn’t about the train explosion because it’s about the bomber’s next mission – an attempt to blow up all of Chicago. Can our Sean/Captain Stevens save the city and save the day? That remains to be seen from his headquarters, where his handler (Vera Farmiga) and boss (Jeffrey Wright) work from inside a square television box as only the commanding faces that instruct him. The question raised to the audience is “is this a simulation or are lives REALLY depending on him?” There’s 8 minutes to replay history on the train and make it right each time Gyllenhaal walks through the sequence. The interesting thing is we never really care about any of the passengers on the train, aside from Gyllenhal. Since HE never connects, WE never connect. But when it comes to the girl, Monaghan, she’s lovely to look at. There’s no chemistry between the two, but it’s meant to be that way. She’s to be made angelic,safe, trustworthy, and very worthy of saving. (btw – while this is a good sci-fi flick, Limitless, also in theatres, is the better one.) Three tiaras
