I came across Frequency, the film from 2000, quite by chance one Saturday night on Sky Premier. I had heard literally nothing about it - no hype, no reviews, no slatings, no adverts - and so wasn't sure what to expect. The first twenty minutes or so were pretty dull, and it looked like pretty much standard, all American hokum about families going bad when something wondrous happens to change their lives - Ho hum, that seen it all before world weariness started to set in as my attention began to wonder and I started thinking about looking at what was on the other side.
HOWEVER, PLEASE STICK WITH IT because you will be extremely glad you did - I know I was.
What starts off as being very slow and dull and boring starts to pick up wonderfully about a third of the way through and you're left with a pretty unique and thrilling detective story which will keep you on the edge of your seats right to the end.
John Sullivan is a cop in his mid Thirties who has lived in a small town all his life. He has just split up with his wife, his fireman father died thirty years ago in a factory blaze, and he is pretty depressed. After he splits up, he goes to stay with his brother's family for a while.
One night, John is talking to his brother and his young nephew about a fishing trip they are planning the next day. They ask if the boy can borrow John's old fishing gear. While they are looking for it they come across an old trunk and find inside it an old ham radio that John's father used to use and decide to try it out.
At first they cannot get it to work, but then after a while a strange electrical phenomena in the sky has a strange effect on the box, which starts to work and soon John is chatting away with a guy called Frank.
Nothing unusual in that you may think, but that's where it starts to get complicated - because Frank is actually John's dead father and he is speaking to John from 1969... far fetched, yeah, it may be, but just suspend all disbelief because as long as you go with it, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
At first both men are absolutely convinced the other guy is pulling their plonker, but in the end they accept the truth.
Now hold on because it's going to start getting complicated soon...
It's coming up to the day of Frank's death in the fire, and John tells Frank exactly how he died, warning him how to avoid it. Frank is not convinced but when it all comes to pass and instead of dying, he becomes a hero by saving a girl, he is convinced.
History is changed, along with the scrap book that John keeps about his father, who now apparently dies of cancer from smoking.
However, Frank unwittingly changes the past again when he goes to visit his wife, John's mother, while she is on duty as a nurse. A strange quirk of fate sees her save the life of a serial killer who goes on to commit seven murders he would otherwise not have done, including that of the mother.
From then on it's a race against time as Frank and John struggle to right the wrongs they have caused and track down the killer. I'm not going to give you any more info about the plot, because it'll spoil things for you, but be prepared for some odd twists and turns and odd paradoxes as history gets rewritten over and over again...
I know it sounds very fanciful and far fetched, but believe me, the actual tale itself is a good one and you get wound up into a quite absorbing little thriller.
There are some good performances here, with Dennis Quaid taking most of the attention as Frank, but there are precious few weaknesses on display and you'll appreciate things, I know.
There's eerie goings on a and paradoxes aplenty here, with strong echoes of Back To The Future, though it's far more earnest, but you get the same underlying premise about the dangers of meddling with the past, and I'm not going there because it just makes my head hurt.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2002 - Drama - Director: Todd Haynes - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Viola Davis, James Rebhorn, Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson
Frequencyis really two different--though inextricably linked--movies. First, the emotional ... more
drama of a father and son reunited after 30 years of separation. Then there is a science fiction thriller, in which a couple of chance solar storms, occurring ex...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
What if you had the chance to travel back in time and change just one event in your life? ... more
What would it be? For John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel), there is no question. He would undo the events of October 12, 1969, when the out-of-control Bruxton fire took ...
Frequencyis really two different--though inextricably linked--movies. First, the emotional ... more
drama of a father and son reunited after 30 years of separation. Then there is a science fiction thriller, in which a couple of chance solar storms, occurring ex...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
What if you had the chance to travel back in time and change just one event in your life? ... more
What would it be? All his life police officer John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) has been haunted by one tragic event. When a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon of nature...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Frequency [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78528636.jpg "Frequency [DVD] [2000]")
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