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Frequency
Gripping time-spanning tale featuring fine performances from James Caviezel and Dennis Quaid
First appearances really can be deceptive. Want proof? Well, look no further than Frequency, the premise for which suggests the shoodiest sort of schlock. It's America in the 1960s, and thanks to intense sunspot activity(!), fire officer Frank Sullivan (Quaid) finds the is able to communicate via a ham radio with his son, 30 years in the future. His grown-up boy, homicide detective John Sullivan (Caviezel, The Thin Red Line), uses this strange set of circumstances to warn his father of his impending death in a warehouse fire. However, saving Frank's life sparks off a fresh chain of events that John discovers will culminate in the murder of his mother (Mitchell). Together, father and son have to make sure that preventing one tragedy won't lead to another one. Sounds decidedly silly, doesn't it? Why should it be, then, that such a hokey storyline makes for such fine drama? In part, Frequency's success stems from the brave decision of screenwriter Toby Emmerich (brother of Noah) to take the story very seriously. Director Hoblit (Primal Fear) also deserves props for playing the drama straight, allowing himself knowing references to Quaid's breakthrough movie, 1983's The Right Stuff. As good as the off-camera handling is, Frequency might still have been relegated to B-movie status were the leading performances not so sympathetic. Quaid and Caviezel (whose physical similarities are sufficient to suggest they could be father and son) aren't the biggest stars but they are both gifted actors. And it is the sincerity of their work that makes Frequency a satisfying experience, at least until the sentimentality kicks in as the end credits loom. Verdict Amongst the best time-related dramas to come out of Hollywood, the only disappointment is the decision to opt for schmaltz rather than surprise in the final reel - Frequency deserving comparison with the excellent The Sixth Sense rather than the saccharine Field Of Dreams. |
