Known more for his dark, psychological crime thrillers
Primal Fear (1996) and
Fallen (1998), director
Gregory Hoblit surprisingly created this
Frank Capra-meets-
Rod Serling-style fantasy that mixes several genres of storytelling into a likable stew.
James Caviezel stars as John Sullivan, a New York police detective who has never recovered from the death of his father Frank (
Dennis Quaid), a firefighter who died heroically when John was a boy. Experimenting with his dad's beloved ham radio one summer night, extreme sunspot activity allows John to contact Frank 30 years in the past. Since he's able to warn Frank away from danger, his father's death never occurs. Then the unthinkable happens: John's altered future is one in which his mother Julia (
Elizabeth Mitchell) has been murdered by a serial killer. Now John in the present and Frank in the past must try to solve the riddle of the killer's identity and change the time line again. Frequency was written by Toby Emmerich, the brother of actor
Noah Emmerich, who appears in a supporting role created specifically for him. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide