Frequency Review

Is their one pivotal event in the past in your lifetime that you wish you could alter significantly that would forever change the course of your life? Well, that’s what Gregory Hobbit’s directorial effort, the 2000 film Frequency starring Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid seeks to answer in its storyline. The undeniably irresistible proposition to change events in time for the gain of oneself is explored in this adventure between the two main characters John (Jim Caviezel) and Frank Sullivan (Dennis Quaid). As it so happens the two are father and son as back in the year 1969 Frank Sullivan was a baseball enthusiast happy go lucky firefighter father married to his wife Julia that raised his six-year-old son John that aspired to follow in his father's footsteps. The interesting matter of fact is that the action also takes place thirty years later in 1999 following a thirty-six-year-old Detective John Sullivan brooding over his failed relationship and dead father. John at this point in his life is still great friends with his childhood buddy Gordo, and when Gordo’s son discovers Frank Sullivan's old HAM radio that was rare even back in 1969 John is taken aback to old times. On that fateful night, John tunes into the radio and through the miracle of an atmospheric phenomenon involving string theory he talks to his father Frank back in 1969. John learns that he has discovered his dead father on the airwaves and warns Frank of his impending death in a firefight. Frank first taken aback to this uses the knowledge delivered by his son to avoid death. The father and son duo bond over their victory and the chance to get to speak to each other but when they learn that when they changed the past to save Frank’s life they altered the course of events so that Frank’s wife and John’s mother Julie has now been murdered in the past along with a string of other girls the two team up to solve the mystery and save Julia's life. This premise sets the stage for what ends up being an excitingly captivating suspenseful original thriller well worth your time.

The performances really stand out and add a lot of weight to the finished product. Dennis Quaid portrayal of a good-spirited baseball-loving father living in the sixties is absolute gold. The other major lead Jim Caviezel who plays John Sullivan is a performance which adds some great dramatic contrast to the whole dynamic. As the story unfolds it's great to see how each of these characters so directly affects each others characterization which is pulled off so well by these actors. John is a character deeply rooted in anguish when we first meet him, his whole character basically being shaped around the traumatic event of his father’s death thirty years previously. After Frank narrowly avoids his original death and grows accustomed to the fact that he is in contact with the future version of his son we see Quaid effectively pull off a character who is on top of the world only to lead to a dangerous pitfall later on. Of course, Quaid and Caviezel aren’t the only two notch performers here as there is also a sharp supporting cast. Noah Emmerich brings a familiar charm and likeability to his role as Gordo, John’s best friend which helps to humanize and ground John’s character in the present day of 1999. Satch DeLeon provides ample backbone to the cast as Andre Braugher, Frank’s cop friend in 1969 and John’s superior in 1999. The ability of Gregory Hobbit to assemble such a tight and solid cast is an impressive feat which paves the way for great exploration of the human aspect.

One of the major themes explored here is the concept of tragedy. Tragedy is prevalent because that's where the script roots the character of John and puts Franks dramatic point of his life in. The mood of the characters come off of this theme and live their lives in this entrenched place of tragedy followed by more as the plot kicks into gear. However, since the writers explore a strong sense of tragedy triumph also comes through as a theme starting with John preventing his father’s death with a warning. The two themes are both polar opposites in their own regard but they live very prominently and stand out in their own right. By enforcing these themes so effectively into the film Gregory Hobbit creates a strong sense of tone which is suspenseful and captivating. There are plenty of light-hearted moments to enjoy as well but the focus is really the suspense that is built out of the plot. Once the plot hits the ground running matters really feel at stake with no guarantee felt for a certain outcome. The inclusion of the sci-fi element here with the string theory related radio waves that allow contact between John and Frank Sullivan enables this fictional world to be shaped around one of mystery and intrigue.

Therefore, since Frequency consists of a plethora of great elements the film offers a unique experience to the audience moviegoers don’t always get. The chance to really invest in the characters is present as you follow the main characters who are at a place of dramatic self-reflection really in their lives thus in a state of chaos and enthused motivation due to the climatic landmark decisions they are forced to adhere to and immerse themselves in during the course of the action. The storyline does falter on a couple of points, though, but none so big that the audience will see a convoluted mess before them. John’s relationship, in the beginning, was over with his girlfriend, yet they didn’t do much to develop her especially when she lost all relevance in John’s life after the timeline was altered. This brings up another weak point that being the explanation for the changing of time which happened concurrently in 1969 could have been better explained. However, this adventure is still one that is a great delight, delivering a great suspenseful mystery which I am assigning a score of 9/10.