Chapter 253

Besides, with Taylor Swift in the cast, the theater was packed with extra Swifties.

Everyone wanted to see what Swift looked like as an actress.

At last, the lights dimmed, and the theater fell instantly silent.

Accompanied by the Star River Pictures logo, the film officially began! Meeting global audiences for the first time!

……

【Produced by Star River Pictures】

【A Xu Can directed film】

【Starring: Xu Can, Emma Stone, Taylor Swift】

The film opens with aerial footage of Chicago — a forest of skyscrapers like a steel jungle, strikingly cold.

A train hurtling along; the camera keeps pushing in, then locks onto a man sleeping inside the carriage.

Compared to the slovenly look in "Dying to Survive" and the down-and-out hitman in "John Wick,"

Xu Can's look in "Source Code" belongs to yet another style — his whole presence has undergone a completely fresh transformation!

He is a retired Marine Corps helicopter pilot,

who for some reason has abruptly found himself on a strange train,

with a strange, beautiful woman across from him making conversation,

while people stream past all around — the whole environment amplifying his unease to the breaking point!

Xu Can's very first shot, his very first glance, instantly let every audience member feel his emotion!

That anxiety and panic transmitted itself through the screen to every viewer!

For this premiere, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese were all invited.

Each with a different expression, they stared at the screen and, as if by prior agreement, praised Xu Can's performance.

"Worthy of the Best Actor indeed!"

"Those few quick-cut shots are handled very well too!"

"He's really so gifted! I wasn't this sharp at twenty-one."

The youngest Oscar Best Actor in history, the youngest Oscar Best Director — with just the first set of shots, he left them dumbfounded.

"I took your advice. Thank you, it was very helpful."

"What?"

"You look pale. Are you all right? Sean?"

Behind him someone cracks open a beer, a passerby's coffee spills onto his shoes, a Black man next to him grumbles about the train being delayed, the conductor comes by to check tickets…

"Your ticket, sir."

Ticket?

The male lead, Coulter, is still puzzled when the beauty across from him reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a ticket.

Taylor Swift's movement and expression are perfectly judged — thoroughly natural.

"Hey, you're a little out of it. What's wrong?"

"Listen, you think you know me, but I don't know you! I'm Captain Coulter Stevens, Marine Corps helicopter pilot."

"Heh-heh-heh, Sean, that's too far-fetched…"

"I've had enough."

The protagonist, Coulter, gets up and leaves.

In this first stretch of performance, Taylor Swift never once pulls the audience out of the film,

yet her beauty also clashes with the rest of the carriage, as if she doesn't quite belong to reality.

In the bathroom mirror, Coulter stares in horror and discovers the face in the glass is not his own — it's a stranger's!

"Sean, what's going on?"

"I really don't know you! None of this is mine!"

"Hey, we're getting off at the next stop. Calm down, okay?"

The beautiful woman played by Swift grips his shoulder and says gently.

"Don't worry, everything will be fi—"

Boom!

A fierce column of fire roars skyward; the violent blast swallows the two of them in an instant!

The entire Chicago train station is engulfed in flames! As if hell itself had descended!

"Hiss—"

The theater audience was instantly stunned — normally a devastating blow like this would be saved for the film's finale.

How can the opening blow up this intensely?

Xu Can used Star River Digital's latest technology to make the explosions in the film more realistic and immersive.

Even the theater could faintly feel the powerful shockwave!

Some timid viewers were startled by the sudden attack!

Before the audience could even pull themselves out of the shock of the explosion, the camera whipped back to the protagonist, Coulter!

"Captain Coulter, this is Beleaguered Castle. Captain Coulter Stevens?"

A familiar voice rang out, and Xu Can's fans instantly recognized it.

Emma Stone!

"Where am I?"

"You're in Beleaguered Castle. Can you hear me?"

Sure enough, on the screen appeared the face of Emma Stone.

She was in an air force uniform, dashing and full of spirit.

After some back-and-forth, the audience finally understood.

It turned out the male lead, Colt, was serving in the Marines; he had to help this "Siege" organization complete a classified mission.

The liaison officer Emma Stone was playing was named Goodwin, a military officer.

"Who bombed the train?" Goodwin kept asking.

"How the hell should I know?"

"Then go back and try again, same as last time — you only have eight minutes."

"Go back where?"

"Find the bomb, find the person who planted it."

Before the lead, Colt, could even react, everything before his eyes shifted in an instant.

He was back on that train again!

Across from him was still that beautiful stranger!

"I took your advice — thanks, it felt really good."

Behind him someone was cracking open a beer, coffee spilled on his shoes — everything was exactly the same as last time!

If at the start it was just an ordinary suspenseful crime story, the tale gradually turned sci-fi from here on.

The audience realized this movie seemed to be one endless loop.

There are plenty of similar films; Xu Can wasn't the first person to put forward this concept.

But everyone was eager to see what new spin Xu Can could pull off with the concept.

This time the lead knew his mission and rose to search for the bomb, to search for the bomber.

At first he just gathered clues based on his earlier memories,

and he learned the name of the woman across from him — Christina; the two of them often ran into each other on this commuter train, and over time became friends.

Through a soldier's instincts, Colt found that bomb above the restroom!

But just as he was about to track down the bomber, the bomb detonated again!

This time, he felt the agony of death with perfect clarity.

He wanted to give up, wanted to leave this damn project.

But the "Siege" liaison, Goodwin, informed him,

that train had in reality already exploded!

The lead had actually entered the train through Xiao En's memories,

and the bomber would still cause an even bigger blast — the entire city would be swallowed in flames.