Similar Roles Make Jake Gyllenhaal a 'Source Code' Match

The new Duncan Jones directed movie, "Source Code," stars Jake Gyllenhaal in a role that is appropriate given the actors' work history. His talent appears to be better utilized for movies that fall within the sci-fi, thriller and drama categories. Gyllenhaal tends to shine particularly when playing characters that are experiencing disaster, deadlines, and death, especially in movies featuring a combination of all three elements. The actor's "Source Code" role continues these signature performances, thrusting him in a situation where he is responsible for an attempt to prevent a bomber from killing millions of commuter train passengers.

"The Day After Tomorrow"

This bombing subject matter for "Source Code" is massive enough to place Jake Gyllenhaal in the midst of disaster, similar to when he had to survive as half of the planet froze from global warming in "The Day After Tomorrow." While one disaster deals with nature while the other is man-made, both movies have complete, yet, coincidental opposites of fire and ice.....literally. Unfortunately, Gyllenhaal's new character doesn't have his daddy to save him like Dennis Quaid did in "The Day After Tomorrow," which makes this eight-minute deadline to find the bomber in "Source Code" all the more pressing.

"Zodiac"

Deadlines in this movie places Jake Gyllenhaal under similar restraints that he had while playing a newspaper cartoonist in "Zodiac." Not only was the earlier character's job based on deadlines but he went beyond the call of duty to try and stop a serial killer from murdering again. While small, the eight minutes given to Gyllenhaal's "Source Code" character seems golden compared to "Zodiac" where every second counts toward preventing the murder of a person. Then again, when the murder risk of one person is multiplied to include everyone riding on a commuter train, every second not only counts but is escalated to a crucial to preventing an intentional and calculated disaster.

"Jarhead"

Many of the key plot points in "The Day After Tomorrow," "Zodiac" and the latest, "Source Code," focus on the prevention of death as a time-sensitive issue. Jake Gyllenhaal tackles death and flips it around for a moment by playing a Marine who is sent into direct combat in "Jarhead," based on the Gulf War. As a soldier in this movie, Gyllenhaal and his team also had to prevent themselves from being killed. The subject matter in "Jarhead" tackles the prevention of death on a larger scale while the reality is many people still died in that process. Hopefully, Jake Gyllenhaal won't have to sacrifice a few people to save many more in "Source Code," but he is the right man for the job of handling disasters no matter what happens in this movie.