Frequency has a clever premise: an old ham radio somehow allows Jim Caviezel, playing John Sullivan, to connect with his father, Frank, played by Dennis Quaid.
The problem is that Frank died 30 years earlier.
Once John realizes what is happening, he does what almost anyone would do: he tries to change the past.
That is where the movie gets interesting.
Frequency starts as a high-concept father-and-son story, but it gradually turns into a murder mystery and thriller. Every change John makes in the past has consequences in the present.
Dennis Quaid is especially good as Frank. He gives the movie warmth and credibility, which matters because the central idea is so improbable. Caviezel plays the more restrained role, but the relationship between the two is what keeps the movie grounded.
The best thing about Frequency is that it never becomes just a time-travel puzzle. I’m not really into those.
Ultimately, it’s about a son getting one impossible chance to talk to his father again.
But it’s not heavily sentimental. Instead, it’s more suspenseful, becoming increasingly tense as the story develops.
If you missed Frequency when it came out, it is exactly the kind of movie worth going back for.
