Taglines: What if it changed everything?
A rare atmospheric phenomenon allows a New York City firefighter to communicate with his son 30 years in the future via HAM radio. The son uses this opportunity to warn the father of his impending death in a warehouse fire, and manages to save his life. However, what he does not realize is that changing history has triggered a new set of tragic events, including the murder of his mother. The two men must now work together, 30 years apart, to find the murderer before he strikes so that they can change history–again.
Frequency is a 2000 American science fiction thriller drama film. It was co-produced and directed by Gregory Hoblit and written and co-produced by Toby Emmerich. The film stars Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel as father and son, Frank and John Sullivan respectively. It was filmed in Toronto and New York City. The film gained mostly favorable reviews following its release via DVD format on October 31, 2000.
Frequency was released at 2,621 theaters, making $9 million during its opening weekend. Eventually, the film grossed $45 million domestically and $23.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $68.1 million.
About the Story
In October 1969, firefighter Frank Sullivan (Quaid) dies in a warehouse fire, leaving behind his wife Julia (Elizabeth Mitchell) and six-year-old son John. Thirty years later, in 1999, John (Caviezel), now an NYPD detective, is dumped by his girlfriend Samantha for being emotionally shut off. John’s childhood friend Gordo (Noah Emmerich) finds a Heathkit single-sideband ham radio that once belonged to Frank, but fails to get it working.
The night before the anniversary of his father’s death, John is surprised to find the radio broadcasting during an occurrence of the aurora borealis and has a brief conversation with another man concerning the 1969 World Series, which John is able to recount in specific detail. Eventually, he realizes that the other man is Frank and tries to warn him of his impending death. The next day, while attempting to rescue a young girl, Frank heeds his son’s warning and manages to escape the warehouse. That evening, the two reconnect and learn a great deal about each other’s lives.
Subsequently, John begins to notice major changes in the present: His mother Julia no longer lives at her current address, Samantha doesn’t recognize him, and he learns that Frank died in 1989 from lung cancer. His boss, Sgt. Satch DeLeon (Andre Braugher), assigns him to investigate the “Nightingale”, a serial killer who murdered three nurses in the 1960s. However, John discovers that the Nightingale is now connected to ten murders, including that of his mother two weeks after Frank’s now-avoided death.
Feeling guilty that their actions somehow led to the Nightingale committing more murders, John persuades his father to help him prevent these crimes from occurring. Frank manages to save the first victim. But when he tries to rescue the second, the Nightingale subdues him, steals his driver’s license, and plants it on the victim to frame Frank for the murder.
When Frank shares his experience with his son, John realizes Frank’s wallet has the Nightingale’s fingerprints. John instructs his father to wrap his wallet in plastic and hide it somewhere in the house where John can find it 30 years later. Using the preserved fingerprints from the wallet, John identifies the Nightingale as Jack Shepard (Shawn Doyle), a former detective.
In the original timeline, Shepard died from a medical error the same night Frank died. But since, in the new timeline, Julia didn’t leave the hospital early after learning of Frank’s death, she was at the hospital and prevented the error that would have killed Shepard. Meanwhile, Frank is approached by then-Detective Satch DeLeon who tries to arrest him on suspicion of murder. (Later, in an attempt to prove his innocence, Frank is able to recount various aspects of the 1969 World Series to Satch, including the infamous Game 5 “shoe polish incident”.)
In the resulting struggle, the radio is knocked over and sustains damage, shutting it off. While awaiting questioning, Frank activates the precinct’s fire sprinkler system, escapes, and breaks into Shepard’s apartment, where he finds jewelry taken from the victims. Shepard catches Frank in the act and pursues him, ending with a fight underwater where Frank appears to have killed Shepard.
Frequency (2000)
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Andre Braugher, Elizabeth Mitchell, Noah Emmerich, Melissa Errico, Jordan Bridges, Marin Hinkle, Peter MacNeill
Screenplay by: Toby Emmerich
Production Design by: Paul Eads
Cinematography by: Alar Kivilo
Film Editing by: David Rosenbloom
Costume Design by: Elisabetta Beraldo
Set Decoration by: Beth Kushnick, Gordon Sim
Art Direction by: Dennis Davenport, John Kasarda, Mindy Roffman
Music by: Michael Kamen
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense violence and disturbing images.
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Release Date: April 28, 2000
Visits: 126
