Source Code begins with exploring the narrative. The main character is thrown into a situation he cannot explain, and so we follow him as he tries to solve what is going on. Jake Gyllenhaal awakens, and immediately looks all around, and so the shots are constantly moving and changing, fast-paced editing being a convention of action films, as to reinforce the fact that he is trying to take in all the information around him. Like this character, the audience has little idea of what is going on. He questions his identity as the women shat opposite tries to prove otherwise and discards his explanation of who he is a joke. We are introduced to a variety of characters aboard the train and are given a quick look at their personalities. He grows tense, and starts to freak out his female companion as he discovers he is not who he thinks. He goes into a full on tirade trying to understand what is going on, and the woman's reassuring words are cut short by a massive explosion that engulfs the characters and rips the train apart. This is an extremely effective opening as starts with a load of questions that both the audience and the character, who they can instantaneously relate to, ask, and cuminates with a large special effect sequence of the train exploding and derailing. At this point we still don't exactly know what is going on, and the apparent demise of our leading man and woman is confusing. However this is what will draw people in to watching the rest of the feature.