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Newcomer Edward Norton became an instant movie star in 1996 with three amazing performances in Primal Fear, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Everyone Says I Love You. Make that four amazing performances, because in Primal Fear he plays a young man named Aaron Stampler whose personality seems to be divided in two: one tough and cynical, the other shy and fearful. Richard Gere plays Martin Vail, the slick Chicago attorney who defends Aaron on charges of brutally murdering an archbishop who may have sexually molested Aaron and other boys in his parish. The courtroom suspense is nail-biting as the jaded hotshot Vail comes to care about the case and the defendant. This is one of the better legal dramas of recent years, with plenty of juicy twists and turns. Frances McDormand (who was soon to win an Oscar for Fargo) plays a psychiatrist. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (64)

THIS MOVIE SHOWS THE WIDE RANGE OF THE GREAT EDWARD NORTON.
"Primal Fear" is an entertaining thriller with some plot twists, good performances and interesting story. But the best part of the movie is the Edward Norton performance, he steals the show from good actors every time he appears on the screen.

The movie introduces a cynical, narcissist and ambitious famous lawyer Martin Vail, he is played by Richard Gere, and of course he has no problem with the role because Richard Gere is cynical, narcissist, ambitious and famous. Anyway, when Martin Vail watches on TV the arrest of a boy accused of the homicide of a Chicago archbishop, he immediately sees the opportunity of raise his profile by defending the boy.

Then he meets Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a quiet and harmless boy; then the lawyer realizes that Aaron is innocent. After that, the movie becomes an entertaining thriller / mystery / courtroom drama, with some plot twists, interesting characters and revelations.

But the most interesting part is to see all the changes and emotions that Edward Norton prints in his character; he is just an amazing actor, his performance is by far the best in the movie. After this film, Norton delivered his best performance in American History X, and established himself as the best actor of his generation.

A more than solid thriller, with a twist
When I had first laid eyes on Primal Fear on pay-per-view years ago I had first dismissed at as another Hollywood who-done-it courtroom drama with no originality. And was I ever wrong. Primal Fear may seem like something you've seen before, but the clever, highly intelligent, and twisting script makes the film soar to unexpected heights, and Edward Norton's breakout performace as murder suspect Aaron has to be seen to be believed (Norton would receive a Golden Globe and his first Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor which Cuba Gooding Jr. ended up winning for Jerry Maguire). Richard Gere has the starring role playing Norton's lawyer who seems to be the only one who believes Norton's innocence. With a super twist ending and a superb all star cast which includes Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Steve Bauer, John Mahoney, Maura Tierney, and Andre Braugher, Primal Fear is a near superb little gem that I strongly suggest seeing.

You gotta be kidding!!!
This is a great movie with interesting plot twists?? I groaned throughout this movie. So predictable....the egotistical lawyer, his ex-lover DA, the dialogue, the acting....ughh. Nothing more than a basic Hollywood formula movie.
I will watch this occasionally to remind me what a recycled , done before, same old same old Hollywood type movie and how much I hate them. I guess some people get off on the same old stuff. Well if you don't, I warned you.

Murder and Misdirection.
"Fui bailar no meu batel alem do mar cruel," sings modern fadista Dulce Pontes in this movie's dynamic title song: "I went dancing in my boat, there on the cruel sea." And it must be just like a nutshell-sized boat dancing on a stormy ocean's waves that nineteen-year-old Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) feels after his arrest for the savage murder of Chicago's saintly Archbishop Rushman. Or does it?

Certainly it doesn't help that Aaron was caught running from the crime scene, covered in blood, and with the archbishop's ring in his pocket. Besides, who is going to believe him anyway - a stuttering, uneducated boy from rural Kentucky who was found begging by the powerful clergyman, taken in as an altar boy and made to sing in his choir - that he was present when the murder was committed but can't remember a single thing because he blacked out? Nobody; surely not the police and ADA Janet Venable (Laura Linney), assigned by D.A./Rushman friend Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) personally to try the case, with the express mandate to obtain a death penalty conviction. Nobody, that is, except Aaron's defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere). Vail, of all people: the flamboyant ADA-turned-private-practitioner, the star attorney not shying away from even the shadiest client, to whom TV and magazine cover interviews are as second nature as his courtroom appearances, and who cynically quotes as his mottos a professor's maxims on his first day in law school: "From this day forward, if your mother says she loves you, get a second opinion." And: "If you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you want to get f**ked, go to court."

"Primal Fear" was adapted from William Diehl's like-named bestselling novel and, like in many literary adaptations, its screenplay is a hit-and-miss affair. Not successful, in my view, are those alterations that unnecessarily make Vail an even more ethically questionable lawyer as already conceived by Diehl; such as the way he becomes Stampler's attorney in the first place (which in the movie amounts to blatant client solicitation; not to mention that no sane lawyer would introduce himself to a potential client with the words "I'm what you call a 'big shot' attorney"), and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a tape revealing the archbishop's not-so-nice private side (which in the novel isn't found by Vail but by his investigator Tommy Goodman [Andre Braugher]: of course that doesn't eliminate Vail's ultimate ethical responsibility, but contrarily to the movie, at least he doesn't "borrow" the tape from the crime scene himself, and he doesn't know in advance what Tommy is up to). Further, in the book the tape is not shown in open court and immediately introduced into evidence but viewed in the presence of only the judge and the attorneys, which given its contents seems more realistic (even if it were later introduced into evidence after all). On the other hand, particularly regarding the main characters the movie's alterations work well: Unethical or not, Richard Gere's Martin Vail is even more interesting than the character devised by Diehl; moreover, an unnecessarily cliched, ultraconservative judge nicknamed "Hangin'" Harry Shoat becomes an - although still tough - overall more multidimensional Judge Miriam Shoat (Alfre Woodard); similarly, Vail's mafia-affiliated client Joey Pinero (Steven Bauer) gains considerably in stature; and although it actually reinforces cliche to shift the love/sex relationship from the book's present one between Vail and psychiatrist Dr. Arrington (Frances McDormand) to the screenplay's past one between Vail and Venable (which the ADA now derogatorily calls "a one-night-stand [that] lasted six months"), thanks to Gere's and Linney's considerable on-screen chemistry their characters' personal relationship adds sparks and tension to their professional rivalry that also lend greater credibility to the final courtroom scene's powder-keg explosion.

Outstanding as all of its actors are, however, "Primal Fear" rises and falls with the performance of Edward Norton, and it is his breathtaking achievement that validates the movie more than anything. Then-newcomer Norton not only had to portray a boy almost a decade younger than himself (which he manages flawlessly) but also an incredibly complex character, sometimes shifting behavioral patterns, accents and manners of speech from one sentence to the next; and he delivers supremely, deservedly garnering an Oscar nomination (which in a year of extremely tight competition he lost to Cuba Gooding Jr. for "Jerry Maguire"), as well as a Golden Globe and several other awards, and together with his roles in "People vs. Larry Flynt" and Woody Allen's "Everybody Says I Love You" playing himself into public awareness once and, hopefully, for all.

Although "Primal Fear" is often cited for its final plot twist, anybody who has seen more than that occasional thriller can see its end coming somewhere halfway through the narrative (and I think that's true for both book and film - although I admit I hadn't read the novel when I first saw the movie). Moreover, the final twist depends on a feat on the part of Norton's character that lawyers and psychiatrists alike will find hard to take at face value. Thus, at first viewing this movie's end may appear a bit of a let-down. But trust me: The story grows on you the more often you watch it, and in my view it actually helps to know the end, because not only does this enable you to see the many nuances you necessarily missed the first time around; it also frees you to think about the moral issues addressed. For those reasons, and for the entire cast's - first and foremost Edward Norton's - fine performances, this has long become one of my favorite courtroom thrillers.

"[I believe that] things are not always as they appear, that sometimes facts can be manipulated the way a magician manipulates an audience. He distracts you with this hand, while the other hand does the tricks. It's called misdirection." - "Primal Fear," preface: from Martin Vail's summation in a case entitled "The State vs. Nicholas Luma."

Primal Fear (1996)
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Cast: Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alre Woodard, Frances McDormand.
Running Time: 130 minutes.
Rated R for language, perverse sexual situations, and some violence.

Rarely is a psychological thriller/courtroom drama so intense, intellectual, and mind-blowing. "Primal Fear" is an excellent adaptation of the William Diehl bestselling novel, using a stupendous cast, an equally riveting screenplay by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman, and fine direction from virtually unknown Gregory Hoblit. Red herrings and duplicitous plot twists are woven tightly into the film about a hotshot defense attorney named Martin Vail (Richard Gere) who goes looking for the limelight and finds it filled with shadows.

When a popular archBishop is brutally murdered in his illustrious home, a terrifyed young altar boy (in an exceptional, eerie role by newcomer Edward Norton--who would later become a star because of the film)is arrested as a suspect and held into custody. Due to the magnitude of the case, Vail leeches onto it and decides to defend the young man. Little does he know that he will uncover a viper's nest of corruption, pit him against a prosectuor (Laura Linney in a fine role) who happens to be his ex-lover, and hope to find the truth of a case that tests his will and win-at-all-costs attitude.

Gere is stupendous as the fame-hungry, confident lawyer, while Norton steals the film as he reveals the inner demons of the poor suspect. "Primal Fear" is one of the most well-made thrillers of the 1990's and is a film that emphasizes what is right and wrong about our judicial system, questions the legitimacy of the courtroom, and taps into a fear of the psychological unknown. A finale that will, if nothing else, shock you and make you think. An absolutely great drama. ... Read more

Reviews (239)

A First-Rate Thriller... With a Heart
The premise for this first-rate thriller involves a New York fireman and New York policeman father and son duo who work together to save lives in both the future and the past. FREQUENCY is based on the idea of shifts in reality occurring in the present as a direct result of communications over short wave radio between a police detective here in this present time (Jim Caviezel) and his father in the past (Dennis Quaid) during times of heightened solar flare activity. 

This movie works because it is internally consistent, even as it stretches one's concept of what can be possible. I enjoyed watching this movie on several levels, as the father and son get to know each other by talking on a ham radio during a spectacular display of northern lights... and race to stop a killer before he strikes again.

I especially enjoyed the way the police detective in the film describes how it feels to have several different memories after reality shifts.  In one scene, John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) talks with his dad, Frank Sullivan (Dennis Quaid), on a ham radio. John describes how he recalls both the memories of how his father died in a burning warehouse and also the memories of how his dad rescued a woman and emerged unscathed from that same fire. John says in amazement, "I remember both... at the same time. It's like waking up from a dream and you're not sure what's real. I remember you being here, but I also remember when you weren't."

This film is especially meaningful for anyone seeking insight into that phenomenon when your keys, purse, or sock aren't where you know you left them. The bonus features on this DVD are also highly enjoyable and include excellent scientific commentaries on the subject of solar flares, the aurora borealis, and string theory.

Very well-done 80's style time travel movie
In many ways, this movie is a variation of the concept the movie "Back to the Future" explored, with a slightly more deeper focus on the character-relationships between the father and the son character. Perhaps it is the presence of Dennis Quaid that makes it feel like an 80's film. Or maybe it is the changing-past-altering-future time travel concept. Nevertheless, it's a fun concept to explore, the idea of being able to communicate with somebody from the past through a radio, and thus warning that person in the past, thus altering the events of the present. This is basically what happens when John, a police detective, finds himself communicating with his presently dead father in the past through a HAM radio and manages to prevent his death. As a result, it somehow results in a set of serial murders, of which John must try to solve (with a help of his dad). The relationship between the father and son are quite endearing and the mystery thriller and sci-fi elements are an interesting bonus.

New Line dropped the ball!!!
All the other reviews will explain the plot etc, what I will say is that It is one of my favorite movies along with my wife's.

It leaves you smiling at the end , One other thing in an Interview Dennis Quaid said New Line dropped the ball because they did not promote it well enough...........I could not agree more.

Frequency (2000)
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Andre Braugher, Elizabeth Mitchell, Noah Emmerich.
Running Time: 118 minutes.
Rated PG-13 for language and violence.

Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel both give fine performances in this quirky science-fiction drama that combines "Back to the Future" and "The Field of Dreams". The film opens in the year 1969, with fire-fighter Dennis Quaid first introducing the game of baseball (specifically the Amazin' Mets of that season) to his son, John. Fast-forward to thirty years later, in which John (Caviezel) is a lonesome, washed-ed ex-college baseball great turned cop who stumbles upon his deceased father's old ham radio.

One night, John uses the radio to connect with a man in the area, later discovering that he is talking to his father in the past. When the father avoids death in a fire that was supposed to take his life, John realizes that he can use this uncanny communication to help him with a serial killer murder case. The two join forces to change the course of history in order to save the lives of the killer's next victims.

Clever premise certainly works for the most part, although there are some twists that do not seem to fit. Hoblit uses the theme of baseball as the connecting link between the father and son, which is an overdone aspect in modern film; however, the script is smart and swift, making "Frequency" a film worth the while.

Don't Miss This One Almost Everyone Including Me Missed
With a little extra spending money I picked up a few DVD's 'to take a chance on', hoping for one gold nugget. Well, this one is just that. I have watched it several times in a few months, and have made a point of lending it out to my friends simply saying 'trust me, you'll enjoy it'. It has come back each time with positive to glowing reviews, and a smile showing each person did enjoy it.
The script is well thought out! Tell me how many times you've watched a movie that seemed to have been roughed out on a napkin the night before they started filming? The story moves forward with... a couple surprises/twists that fit perfectly into the storyline, but doesn't overshadow the identification with and the developement of the characters. Great casting. I have been a Dennis Quaid fans for over a decade, and Jim Cavieziel was a pleasant discovery for me.
I missed this in the theatre. Not too many people went to see it. Man, I might have missed it altogther had I not had a few dollars to spend... and in this case, that would have been a bad thing. You'll enjoy it, trust me. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An undiscovered gem for history buffs!
I remember when this first came out more than 10 years ago. I remember wondering why it wasn't a big hit, & I still feel that way now. I'm happy to say that I finally ordered a copy (used, of course) from Amazon.com in January. Not only did it arrive before I expected, but the picture quality was perfect! The plot follows three West Point cadets from the class of '61 who go seperate ways once the Civil War begins. One of the three is young George Armstrong Custer, who we all know from history books. I thought the three male leads (Dan Futterman, Joshua Lucas, & Clive Owen) were all terrific, as well as Sophie Ward, who provides the mandatory romance sub-plot! This is no masterpiece, but as you know good Civil War films are few & far between. Although I thought the slavery scenes took up way too much screen time & the battles seem low-budget quality, the dramatic power of the battle scenes is high quality. There's one scene I'm curious about, though: A company-size group of Confederates charges wildly towards a Union position & every single Rebel is killed. Now, I'm no expert on the battle of Manassas but I don't remember ever reading about a large unit being 100% wiped out in one charge! Oh well, it's still very dramatic. The main problem is how they mix scenes of a black slave woman giving birth with the battle scenes, which gets very annoying after a while. I love how the Union battery is obliterated at the end! Now, that scene I know isn't Hollywood, it really happened! Overall, I strongly recommend this for history buffs who want to see a great Civil War movie.

EMOTIONALLY EXILIRATING! A WINNER!
"Class of '61" tells the story of the graduating West Point class of 1861 as the Civil War breaks out. It has fine performances and an exciting and almost 100% accurate recreation of the battle of First Manassas. A fine film! I hope it comes out on DVD soon! Grade: A+

Excellent and Well worth a look!
Emotional and realistic portralial of the American Civil War and how it effected both north, south and those caught in the middle. Unlike some war movies which ignore the human cost this movie shows in detail the cost to the main characters. Class of 61' is one of the best movies that I have seen. The movie starts at West Point and shows us the last class before the war starts. The friendships between those of southern back ground and the northerns and how their friendships are torn apart by the war. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

LA LAW PILOT/MOVIE
Compelling film about medium-size Los Angeles Law Firm with interesting, current event-type plots (for the 80s), thoughtful writing and superior acting performances by a very talented cast. This is a film you will want to watch over and over!

L.A. LAW IS NO BORE!
L.A. Law the movie that started it all is a great introduction to the long running hit TV series of the 80's. The professional and personal lives of the lawyers at the high profile Los Angeles law firm add style, and a little fun to the dramatic content of the movie. A must see for any fan of L.A. Law or anyone who enjoys a movie with endless surprises in it's script! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Let's hope we never have to go through this again
I was impressed with the courage Jane Roe had in this movie. I appreciated this film because it showed the lengthy process one encounters making changes through the legal system, and how one can succeed in the end-- despite all odds. I hope we never go back to being a society where women feel that they don't have support from their community.

Pro-Choice-The Real Story
I never knew the details of how abortion came to be legal; the actual story of what her background, circumstances, and courage brought to light. This woman went through and was put through so much, just to make her life better. Little did she know what impact her tenacity would have on us all!

This is a moving account of not only one woman's individual struggle, but the integral role our justice system played. Debra Winger nailed this performance.

an reflection of the trial
I'm in the study of the video. In my movie class, anylizing it is my Homework. So ... Holly Hunter is very cuty... Mrs.Weddington was very hard in going through. In this point, this video contains the meanig of some Feminism. ... After some time... So ..Good Bye ... Read more

Reviews (76)

superior to seven
Fallen has the "Seven" type feeling. The film is mixed with drama, suspense, mystery, and horror. Not to mention this film has almost absolutely no gore. It has a reliable and clever plot. Fallen is about a detective named John Hobbes, who is played by Denzel Washington. He has caught a killer named Edgar Reese who is about to be executed. Reese tells Hobbes a riddle before he dies. When another murder occurs, Hobbes finds the same riddle scrawled on the wall. He unravels the clue and begins to discover that the true being responsible for the murders is a demon called Azazel, who can move from body to body by simple touch. This film features many chilling scenes that involve Hobbes trying to keep up with who Azazel has just possessed. The supernatural twist in this movie makes it more interesting than seven, and the unique characters, especially Azazel, make this film one of the best suspense movies of all time.

Don't mess with a demon.
If you are with the opinion that The Bone Collector, also starring Denzel Washington, sucked because the "clues" left by the killer on purpose to make fun of the cops was way too exaggerated and it had a very lame ending, this is what you need to watch because this one is dealing with that both cases near perfect. Everything is just fine in this movie; cast, plot, direction, music, ect. The story will keep you nailed to your seat from the very beginning to the ending credits. And Rolling Stones will keep you watching the ending credits. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious, although it would be better if the writer didn't feel it necessery to reveal in the very beginning that the killer is in fact a body shifthing evil soul. Music is excellent, you can't help but get drawn into the movie with that music playing in the background. And it was so nice to see Elias Koteas in his role, someone i really admire for his Han Solo part in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But that's not the only suprise in the movie, it has its exceptional ending. I strongly disagree with the idea that ending was anywhere near predictable. I hate to give away clues about a film's ending, but my title already does. Only thing i was sad about the movie, i would love to see John Goodman playing basketball. About the DVD, it has not much but some cool features. Like, it has the best feature for me, both full screen and wide screen formats. And then we have a running commentary, trailer, cast & crew and similar stuff. The picture transfer of the film deserves credit and apperiance is ok, too. So this film is a buy. The only reason that this cool film got 4 stars from me is because, i've seen Se7en.

Ho hum
Denzel Washington is John Hobbes, a homicide cop who is called to investigate a killing that looks very like the work of recently executed Edgar Reese and is disturbed to find that whoever did it seems to attach real significance to the odd riddle Reese teased him with shortly before dying. The riddle's solution leads him to the case of another cop's mysterious death in a remote mountain cabin thirty years previously and to that cop's surviving daughter, now an academic expert on angels. And deciphering the words of Aramaic Reece spoke to Hobbes in the same pre-execution conversation thickens the plot still further...

It's natural to bracket this film with Rupert Wainwright's 1999 "Stigmata" as a pair of ambitious, quite expensively cast, mainstream Hollywood attempts from the late 90's to breathe a little new life into the old "Exorcist" theme of possession neither of which quite comes off. This one is pleasant enough to watch, taking the form of what at first seems a fairly conventional police procedural thriller until the supernatural elements start to crowd in. The first half is the best with its intriguing sense of mystery. Things get weaker when the mystery dispels and Hobbes is left in no doubt about the strange game of demonic tag he has stumbled upon. The problem here is that what Hobbes find out is intended to be truly disturbing and scary and, well, it isn't all that much. SO an OK mystery movie that turns into a rather ineffective horror movie that is well enough put together to sustain interest but won't linger in the memory.

Denzel does it again
This is such a gripping movie. You never know when or in whom the killer will appear next. What a thriller. Another wonderful performance by Denzel. Bouncing back and forth from the viewpoint of the killer to the mind of the detective, you will not want to miss a beat of this hold-your-breath-and-grit-your-teeth movie. Enjoy!

Not Good
A good friend of mine told me this movie was really good and talked me into watching it with him. Let's just say we're no longer good friends. This movie is cheesy, cliche, and doesn't make sense, and the ending makes the whole movie pointless. It is one that Denzel should leave off his resume. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

"Hart's War"
Hart's War (R) ****/5
Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terence Howard, Cole Hauser, Linus Roache.
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit.
Synopsis: A trial is held in a P.O.W. camp, and the defendant's lawyer is desperate to prove him innocent.
Special Features: Commentaries, Deleted Scenes with Commentary, Photo Gallery, Trailer.
Review: Well MGM is on the ropes with good movie failing after good movie failing. Perhaps they need a new marketing department. "Hart's War" tells the tale of a young Lieutenant who is appointed to an obviously innocent black man who is accused of murdering a white man in a German P.O.W. camp. The German's agree to allow the court martial, and the trail begins. Everything seems to go against Lieutenant Hart from the beginning, and he is forced to unravel the lies to find who the murderer is and why he is being protected. In a stand for courage and against racism "Hart's War" is rousing stuff. This military drama is a refreshing break from the explosions and guts war films we are used to. Some minor battling/blood is present, but it is brief, critical to the plot, and not fight scenes (A fighter strafing run and bullet to the head). Bruce Willis gives a credible performance as the Colonel in charge of the U.S. prisoners, Terence Howard plays the accused very well, Cole Hauser is excellent as the bad guy, but Colin Farrell steals the show as the title character. Not the pick for bloody war film fans, but definitely for those who like history, or a good drama. Gregory Hoblit ("Frequency") is on top of his game again what a fantastic director. As for the DVD? MGM still uses flip discs! I hate flip discs! Sure it is an easy way to pack wide/full screen on one disc, but invariably fingerprints get on one side. Columbia/Tri Star can fit both and 2 times the special features on their single sided discs! Get a clue MGM! MGM DVD's usually are weak on special features and while this has more than some its mostly just commentaries. The disc is well worth picking up for the film, but I wish MGM's DVD designers would get a clue already.

Average WWII POW movie
Hart's War is based on the recent bestselling book by John Katzenbach. I didn't read the book, but was looking forward to the movie because of the cast - Bruce Willis and Colin Farell. The movie starts off terrific, with several tense scenes showing how Colin Farell's character (who is the son of a US Senator) gets captured, interrogated, and sent to a POW camp. However, the film begins to lose focus and tackles too many themes, including racism, identification with the enemy, and heroism. At times, it's derivative of the "Great Escape" and other POW movies. It has a pretty good plot, with Colin Farrel's character forced to defend a POW who is suspected of murdering another POW. This plot, though, gets lost beneath all of the posturing. Bruce Willis was just ok, and at times his voice is so strained that its irritating to listen to him. Colin Farell lives up to the promise he showed in Tigerland, although his part was underdeveloped. Overall, an average movie that could have been much better.

The Plot Successfully Escaped
HART'S WAR had potential. The last months of World War Two as a backdrop with demoralized GI's crammed into an overcrowded POW compound. If this picture was soley about the hardships endured by surrendered soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge, then it could have had a chance. Instead the film makers took on too many plots and subplots. Unintentionally the movie borrows from SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, A SOLDIER'S STORY, THE GREAT ESCAPE and STALAG 17. A cardinal rule in war films is that the premise has to be simple. In HART'S WAR we find some good elements lost in a virtual Mulligan stew. In the story Colin Farrell's character, a rear echelon lawyer, accompanies another officer on what he thinks is a joyride. Unfortunately for Farrell, the Germans have launched their attack in the Ardennes. The young lawyer is captured, harshly interrogated, and finally shipped out to a German stalag. There he meets the senior POW officer, played by Bruce Willis, and tries to settle down in the dirty and uncomfortable life of a POW. A soldier is killed and a recently downed Tuskegee airman is accused of murder. Yes, you guessed it. Farrell takes on the aviator's defense during the subsequent courts martial. If director Gregory Hoblit left the storyline to develop around the trial a decent film could have emerged. Instead we have additions of Colonel Hart's unexplained behavior, an mass tunnel escape plot, sabotage and the German Commandant's attempt to befriend the American lawyer as superfluous baggage.

HART'S WAR was filmed in the Czech Republic, no doubt to cut costs. A little more effort and a lot less story and this film would have had a better showing at the box office. Still, if you enjoy war movies you should probably add this DVD to your collection.

Where's the history?
A movie based on WW2 backdrop should at least remain somewhat historical in it's context. The implausible storyline, added with a hyped up propaganda laced motif makes for one sorry flick.

Stalag 13 - up close & personal
Well, not really Stalag 13, but the situations reminded me of the TV series. But the racism got to this redneck cowboy who stopped looking at color years ago. I guess that is one of the things about movies -- they show history.

All in all it was a very good flick. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

superior to seven
Fallen has the "Seven" type feeling. The film is mixed with drama, suspense, mystery, and horror. Not to mention this film has almost absolutely no gore. It has a reliable and clever plot. Fallen is about a detective named John Hobbes, who is played by Denzel Washington. He has caught a killer named Edgar Reese who is about to be executed. Reese tells Hobbes a riddle before he dies. When another murder occurs, Hobbes finds the same riddle scrawled on the wall. He unravels the clue and begins to discover that the true being responsible for the murders is a demon called Azazel, who can move from body to body by simple touch. This film features many chilling scenes that involve Hobbes trying to keep up with who Azazel has just possessed. The supernatural twist in this movie makes it more interesting than seven, and the unique characters, especially Azazel, make this film one of the best suspense movies of all time.

Don't mess with a demon.
If you are with the opinion that The Bone Collector, also starring Denzel Washington, sucked because the "clues" left by the killer on purpose to make fun of the cops was way too exaggerated and it had a very lame ending, this is what you need to watch because this one is dealing with that both cases near perfect. Everything is just fine in this movie; cast, plot, direction, music, ect. The story will keep you nailed to your seat from the very beginning to the ending credits. And Rolling Stones will keep you watching the ending credits. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious, although it would be better if the writer didn't feel it necessery to reveal in the very beginning that the killer is in fact a body shifthing evil soul. Music is excellent, you can't help but get drawn into the movie with that music playing in the background. And it was so nice to see Elias Koteas in his role, someone i really admire for his Han Solo part in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But that's not the only suprise in the movie, it has its exceptional ending. I strongly disagree with the idea that ending was anywhere near predictable. I hate to give away clues about a film's ending, but my title already does. Only thing i was sad about the movie, i would love to see John Goodman playing basketball. About the DVD, it has not much but some cool features. Like, it has the best feature for me, both full screen and wide screen formats. And then we have a running commentary, trailer, cast & crew and similar stuff. The picture transfer of the film deserves credit and apperiance is ok, too. So this film is a buy. The only reason that this cool film got 4 stars from me is because, i've seen Se7en.

Ho hum
Denzel Washington is John Hobbes, a homicide cop who is called to investigate a killing that looks very like the work of recently executed Edgar Reese and is disturbed to find that whoever did it seems to attach real significance to the odd riddle Reese teased him with shortly before dying. The riddle's solution leads him to the case of another cop's mysterious death in a remote mountain cabin thirty years previously and to that cop's surviving daughter, now an academic expert on angels. And deciphering the words of Aramaic Reece spoke to Hobbes in the same pre-execution conversation thickens the plot still further...

It's natural to bracket this film with Rupert Wainwright's 1999 "Stigmata" as a pair of ambitious, quite expensively cast, mainstream Hollywood attempts from the late 90's to breathe a little new life into the old "Exorcist" theme of possession neither of which quite comes off. This one is pleasant enough to watch, taking the form of what at first seems a fairly conventional police procedural thriller until the supernatural elements start to crowd in. The first half is the best with its intriguing sense of mystery. Things get weaker when the mystery dispels and Hobbes is left in no doubt about the strange game of demonic tag he has stumbled upon. The problem here is that what Hobbes find out is intended to be truly disturbing and scary and, well, it isn't all that much. SO an OK mystery movie that turns into a rather ineffective horror movie that is well enough put together to sustain interest but won't linger in the memory.

Denzel does it again
This is such a gripping movie. You never know when or in whom the killer will appear next. What a thriller. Another wonderful performance by Denzel. Bouncing back and forth from the viewpoint of the killer to the mind of the detective, you will not want to miss a beat of this hold-your-breath-and-grit-your-teeth movie. Enjoy!

Not Good
A good friend of mine told me this movie was really good and talked me into watching it with him. Let's just say we're no longer good friends. This movie is cheesy, cliche, and doesn't make sense, and the ending makes the whole movie pointless. It is one that Denzel should leave off his resume. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

"Hart's War"
Hart's War (R) ****/5
Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terence Howard, Cole Hauser, Linus Roache.
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit.
Synopsis: A trial is held in a P.O.W. camp, and the defendant's lawyer is desperate to prove him innocent.
Special Features: Commentaries, Deleted Scenes with Commentary, Photo Gallery, Trailer.
Review: Well MGM is on the ropes with good movie failing after good movie failing. Perhaps they need a new marketing department. "Hart's War" tells the tale of a young Lieutenant who is appointed to an obviously innocent black man who is accused of murdering a white man in a German P.O.W. camp. The German's agree to allow the court martial, and the trail begins. Everything seems to go against Lieutenant Hart from the beginning, and he is forced to unravel the lies to find who the murderer is and why he is being protected. In a stand for courage and against racism "Hart's War" is rousing stuff. This military drama is a refreshing break from the explosions and guts war films we are used to. Some minor battling/blood is present, but it is brief, critical to the plot, and not fight scenes (A fighter strafing run and bullet to the head). Bruce Willis gives a credible performance as the Colonel in charge of the U.S. prisoners, Terence Howard plays the accused very well, Cole Hauser is excellent as the bad guy, but Colin Farrell steals the show as the title character. Not the pick for bloody war film fans, but definitely for those who like history, or a good drama. Gregory Hoblit ("Frequency") is on top of his game again what a fantastic director. As for the DVD? MGM still uses flip discs! I hate flip discs! Sure it is an easy way to pack wide/full screen on one disc, but invariably fingerprints get on one side. Columbia/Tri Star can fit both and 2 times the special features on their single sided discs! Get a clue MGM! MGM DVD's usually are weak on special features and while this has more than some its mostly just commentaries. The disc is well worth picking up for the film, but I wish MGM's DVD designers would get a clue already.

Average WWII POW movie
Hart's War is based on the recent bestselling book by John Katzenbach. I didn't read the book, but was looking forward to the movie because of the cast - Bruce Willis and Colin Farell. The movie starts off terrific, with several tense scenes showing how Colin Farell's character (who is the son of a US Senator) gets captured, interrogated, and sent to a POW camp. However, the film begins to lose focus and tackles too many themes, including racism, identification with the enemy, and heroism. At times, it's derivative of the "Great Escape" and other POW movies. It has a pretty good plot, with Colin Farrel's character forced to defend a POW who is suspected of murdering another POW. This plot, though, gets lost beneath all of the posturing. Bruce Willis was just ok, and at times his voice is so strained that its irritating to listen to him. Colin Farell lives up to the promise he showed in Tigerland, although his part was underdeveloped. Overall, an average movie that could have been much better.

The Plot Successfully Escaped
HART'S WAR had potential. The last months of World War Two as a backdrop with demoralized GI's crammed into an overcrowded POW compound. If this picture was soley about the hardships endured by surrendered soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge, then it could have had a chance. Instead the film makers took on too many plots and subplots. Unintentionally the movie borrows from SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, A SOLDIER'S STORY, THE GREAT ESCAPE and STALAG 17. A cardinal rule in war films is that the premise has to be simple. In HART'S WAR we find some good elements lost in a virtual Mulligan stew. In the story Colin Farrell's character, a rear echelon lawyer, accompanies another officer on what he thinks is a joyride. Unfortunately for Farrell, the Germans have launched their attack in the Ardennes. The young lawyer is captured, harshly interrogated, and finally shipped out to a German stalag. There he meets the senior POW officer, played by Bruce Willis, and tries to settle down in the dirty and uncomfortable life of a POW. A soldier is killed and a recently downed Tuskegee airman is accused of murder. Yes, you guessed it. Farrell takes on the aviator's defense during the subsequent courts martial. If director Gregory Hoblit left the storyline to develop around the trial a decent film could have emerged. Instead we have additions of Colonel Hart's unexplained behavior, an mass tunnel escape plot, sabotage and the German Commandant's attempt to befriend the American lawyer as superfluous baggage.

HART'S WAR was filmed in the Czech Republic, no doubt to cut costs. A little more effort and a lot less story and this film would have had a better showing at the box office. Still, if you enjoy war movies you should probably add this DVD to your collection.

Where's the history?
A movie based on WW2 backdrop should at least remain somewhat historical in it's context. The implausible storyline, added with a hyped up propaganda laced motif makes for one sorry flick.

Stalag 13 - up close & personal
Well, not really Stalag 13, but the situations reminded me of the TV series. But the racism got to this redneck cowboy who stopped looking at color years ago. I guess that is one of the things about movies -- they show history.

All in all it was a very good flick. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

THIS MOVIE SHOWS THE WIDE RANGE OF THE GREAT EDWARD NORTON.
"Primal Fear" is an entertaining thriller with some plot twists, good performances and interesting story. But the best part of the movie is the Edward Norton performance, he steals the show from good actors every time he appears on the screen.

The movie introduces a cynical, narcissist and ambitious famous lawyer Martin Vail, he is played by Richard Gere, and of course he has no problem with the role because Richard Gere is cynical, narcissist, ambitious and famous. Anyway, when Martin Vail watches on TV the arrest of a boy accused of the homicide of a Chicago archbishop, he immediately sees the opportunity of raise his profile by defending the boy.

Then he meets Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a quiet and harmless boy; then the lawyer realizes that Aaron is innocent. After that, the movie becomes an entertaining thriller / mystery / courtroom drama, with some plot twists, interesting characters and revelations.

But the most interesting part is to see all the changes and emotions that Edward Norton prints in his character; he is just an amazing actor, his performance is by far the best in the movie. After this film, Norton delivered his best performance in American History X, and established himself as the best actor of his generation.

A more than solid thriller, with a twist
When I had first laid eyes on Primal Fear on pay-per-view years ago I had first dismissed at as another Hollywood who-done-it courtroom drama with no originality. And was I ever wrong. Primal Fear may seem like something you've seen before, but the clever, highly intelligent, and twisting script makes the film soar to unexpected heights, and Edward Norton's breakout performace as murder suspect Aaron has to be seen to be believed (Norton would receive a Golden Globe and his first Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor which Cuba Gooding Jr. ended up winning for Jerry Maguire). Richard Gere has the starring role playing Norton's lawyer who seems to be the only one who believes Norton's innocence. With a super twist ending and a superb all star cast which includes Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Steve Bauer, John Mahoney, Maura Tierney, and Andre Braugher, Primal Fear is a near superb little gem that I strongly suggest seeing.

You gotta be kidding!!!
This is a great movie with interesting plot twists?? I groaned throughout this movie. So predictable....the egotistical lawyer, his ex-lover DA, the dialogue, the acting....ughh. Nothing more than a basic Hollywood formula movie.
I will watch this occasionally to remind me what a recycled , done before, same old same old Hollywood type movie and how much I hate them. I guess some people get off on the same old stuff. Well if you don't, I warned you.

Murder and Misdirection.
"Fui bailar no meu batel alem do mar cruel," sings modern fadista Dulce Pontes in this movie's dynamic title song: "I went dancing in my boat, there on the cruel sea." And it must be just like a nutshell-sized boat dancing on a stormy ocean's waves that nineteen-year-old Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) feels after his arrest for the savage murder of Chicago's saintly Archbishop Rushman. Or does it?

Certainly it doesn't help that Aaron was caught running from the crime scene, covered in blood, and with the archbishop's ring in his pocket. Besides, who is going to believe him anyway - a stuttering, uneducated boy from rural Kentucky who was found begging by the powerful clergyman, taken in as an altar boy and made to sing in his choir - that he was present when the murder was committed but can't remember a single thing because he blacked out? Nobody; surely not the police and ADA Janet Venable (Laura Linney), assigned by D.A./Rushman friend Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) personally to try the case, with the express mandate to obtain a death penalty conviction. Nobody, that is, except Aaron's defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere). Vail, of all people: the flamboyant ADA-turned-private-practitioner, the star attorney not shying away from even the shadiest client, to whom TV and magazine cover interviews are as second nature as his courtroom appearances, and who cynically quotes as his mottos a professor's maxims on his first day in law school: "From this day forward, if your mother says she loves you, get a second opinion." And: "If you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you want to get f**ked, go to court."

"Primal Fear" was adapted from William Diehl's like-named bestselling novel and, like in many literary adaptations, its screenplay is a hit-and-miss affair. Not successful, in my view, are those alterations that unnecessarily make Vail an even more ethically questionable lawyer as already conceived by Diehl; such as the way he becomes Stampler's attorney in the first place (which in the movie amounts to blatant client solicitation; not to mention that no sane lawyer would introduce himself to a potential client with the words "I'm what you call a 'big shot' attorney"), and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a tape revealing the archbishop's not-so-nice private side (which in the novel isn't found by Vail but by his investigator Tommy Goodman [Andre Braugher]: of course that doesn't eliminate Vail's ultimate ethical responsibility, but contrarily to the movie, at least he doesn't "borrow" the tape from the crime scene himself, and he doesn't know in advance what Tommy is up to). Further, in the book the tape is not shown in open court and immediately introduced into evidence but viewed in the presence of only the judge and the attorneys, which given its contents seems more realistic (even if it were later introduced into evidence after all). On the other hand, particularly regarding the main characters the movie's alterations work well: Unethical or not, Richard Gere's Martin Vail is even more interesting than the character devised by Diehl; moreover, an unnecessarily cliched, ultraconservative judge nicknamed "Hangin'" Harry Shoat becomes an - although still tough - overall more multidimensional Judge Miriam Shoat (Alfre Woodard); similarly, Vail's mafia-affiliated client Joey Pinero (Steven Bauer) gains considerably in stature; and although it actually reinforces cliche to shift the love/sex relationship from the book's present one between Vail and psychiatrist Dr. Arrington (Frances McDormand) to the screenplay's past one between Vail and Venable (which the ADA now derogatorily calls "a one-night-stand [that] lasted six months"), thanks to Gere's and Linney's considerable on-screen chemistry their characters' personal relationship adds sparks and tension to their professional rivalry that also lend greater credibility to the final courtroom scene's powder-keg explosion.

Outstanding as all of its actors are, however, "Primal Fear" rises and falls with the performance of Edward Norton, and it is his breathtaking achievement that validates the movie more than anything. Then-newcomer Norton not only had to portray a boy almost a decade younger than himself (which he manages flawlessly) but also an incredibly complex character, sometimes shifting behavioral patterns, accents and manners of speech from one sentence to the next; and he delivers supremely, deservedly garnering an Oscar nomination (which in a year of extremely tight competition he lost to Cuba Gooding Jr. for "Jerry Maguire"), as well as a Golden Globe and several other awards, and together with his roles in "People vs. Larry Flynt" and Woody Allen's "Everybody Says I Love You" playing himself into public awareness once and, hopefully, for all.

Although "Primal Fear" is often cited for its final plot twist, anybody who has seen more than that occasional thriller can see its end coming somewhere halfway through the narrative (and I think that's true for both book and film - although I admit I hadn't read the novel when I first saw the movie). Moreover, the final twist depends on a feat on the part of Norton's character that lawyers and psychiatrists alike will find hard to take at face value. Thus, at first viewing this movie's end may appear a bit of a let-down. But trust me: The story grows on you the more often you watch it, and in my view it actually helps to know the end, because not only does this enable you to see the many nuances you necessarily missed the first time around; it also frees you to think about the moral issues addressed. For those reasons, and for the entire cast's - first and foremost Edward Norton's - fine performances, this has long become one of my favorite courtroom thrillers.

"[I believe that] things are not always as they appear, that sometimes facts can be manipulated the way a magician manipulates an audience. He distracts you with this hand, while the other hand does the tricks. It's called misdirection." - "Primal Fear," preface: from Martin Vail's summation in a case entitled "The State vs. Nicholas Luma."

Primal Fear (1996)
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Cast: Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alre Woodard, Frances McDormand.
Running Time: 130 minutes.
Rated R for language, perverse sexual situations, and some violence.

Rarely is a psychological thriller/courtroom drama so intense, intellectual, and mind-blowing. "Primal Fear" is an excellent adaptation of the William Diehl bestselling novel, using a stupendous cast, an equally riveting screenplay by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman, and fine direction from virtually unknown Gregory Hoblit. Red herrings and duplicitous plot twists are woven tightly into the film about a hotshot defense attorney named Martin Vail (Richard Gere) who goes looking for the limelight and finds it filled with shadows.

When a popular archBishop is brutally murdered in his illustrious home, a terrifyed young altar boy (in an exceptional, eerie role by newcomer Edward Norton--who would later become a star because of the film)is arrested as a suspect and held into custody. Due to the magnitude of the case, Vail leeches onto it and decides to defend the young man. Little does he know that he will uncover a viper's nest of corruption, pit him against a prosectuor (Laura Linney in a fine role) who happens to be his ex-lover, and hope to find the truth of a case that tests his will and win-at-all-costs attitude.

Gere is stupendous as the fame-hungry, confident lawyer, while Norton steals the film as he reveals the inner demons of the poor suspect. "Primal Fear" is one of the most well-made thrillers of the 1990's and is a film that emphasizes what is right and wrong about our judicial system, questions the legitimacy of the courtroom, and taps into a fear of the psychological unknown. A finale that will, if nothing else, shock you and make you think. An absolutely great drama. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

superior to seven
Fallen has the "Seven" type feeling. The film is mixed with drama, suspense, mystery, and horror. Not to mention this film has almost absolutely no gore. It has a reliable and clever plot. Fallen is about a detective named John Hobbes, who is played by Denzel Washington. He has caught a killer named Edgar Reese who is about to be executed. Reese tells Hobbes a riddle before he dies. When another murder occurs, Hobbes finds the same riddle scrawled on the wall. He unravels the clue and begins to discover that the true being responsible for the murders is a demon called Azazel, who can move from body to body by simple touch. This film features many chilling scenes that involve Hobbes trying to keep up with who Azazel has just possessed. The supernatural twist in this movie makes it more interesting than seven, and the unique characters, especially Azazel, make this film one of the best suspense movies of all time.

Don't mess with a demon.
If you are with the opinion that The Bone Collector, also starring Denzel Washington, sucked because the "clues" left by the killer on purpose to make fun of the cops was way too exaggerated and it had a very lame ending, this is what you need to watch because this one is dealing with that both cases near perfect. Everything is just fine in this movie; cast, plot, direction, music, ect. The story will keep you nailed to your seat from the very beginning to the ending credits. And Rolling Stones will keep you watching the ending credits. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious, although it would be better if the writer didn't feel it necessery to reveal in the very beginning that the killer is in fact a body shifthing evil soul. Music is excellent, you can't help but get drawn into the movie with that music playing in the background. And it was so nice to see Elias Koteas in his role, someone i really admire for his Han Solo part in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But that's not the only suprise in the movie, it has its exceptional ending. I strongly disagree with the idea that ending was anywhere near predictable. I hate to give away clues about a film's ending, but my title already does. Only thing i was sad about the movie, i would love to see John Goodman playing basketball. About the DVD, it has not much but some cool features. Like, it has the best feature for me, both full screen and wide screen formats. And then we have a running commentary, trailer, cast & crew and similar stuff. The picture transfer of the film deserves credit and apperiance is ok, too. So this film is a buy. The only reason that this cool film got 4 stars from me is because, i've seen Se7en.

Ho hum
Denzel Washington is John Hobbes, a homicide cop who is called to investigate a killing that looks very like the work of recently executed Edgar Reese and is disturbed to find that whoever did it seems to attach real significance to the odd riddle Reese teased him with shortly before dying. The riddle's solution leads him to the case of another cop's mysterious death in a remote mountain cabin thirty years previously and to that cop's surviving daughter, now an academic expert on angels. And deciphering the words of Aramaic Reece spoke to Hobbes in the same pre-execution conversation thickens the plot still further...

It's natural to bracket this film with Rupert Wainwright's 1999 "Stigmata" as a pair of ambitious, quite expensively cast, mainstream Hollywood attempts from the late 90's to breathe a little new life into the old "Exorcist" theme of possession neither of which quite comes off. This one is pleasant enough to watch, taking the form of what at first seems a fairly conventional police procedural thriller until the supernatural elements start to crowd in. The first half is the best with its intriguing sense of mystery. Things get weaker when the mystery dispels and Hobbes is left in no doubt about the strange game of demonic tag he has stumbled upon. The problem here is that what Hobbes find out is intended to be truly disturbing and scary and, well, it isn't all that much. SO an OK mystery movie that turns into a rather ineffective horror movie that is well enough put together to sustain interest but won't linger in the memory.

Denzel does it again
This is such a gripping movie. You never know when or in whom the killer will appear next. What a thriller. Another wonderful performance by Denzel. Bouncing back and forth from the viewpoint of the killer to the mind of the detective, you will not want to miss a beat of this hold-your-breath-and-grit-your-teeth movie. Enjoy!

Not Good
A good friend of mine told me this movie was really good and talked me into watching it with him. Let's just say we're no longer good friends. This movie is cheesy, cliche, and doesn't make sense, and the ending makes the whole movie pointless. It is one that Denzel should leave off his resume. ... Read more

Reviews (239)

A First-Rate Thriller... With a Heart
The premise for this first-rate thriller involves a New York fireman and New York policeman father and son duo who work together to save lives in both the future and the past. FREQUENCY is based on the idea of shifts in reality occurring in the present as a direct result of communications over short wave radio between a police detective here in this present time (Jim Caviezel) and his father in the past (Dennis Quaid) during times of heightened solar flare activity. 

This movie works because it is internally consistent, even as it stretches one's concept of what can be possible. I enjoyed watching this movie on several levels, as the father and son get to know each other by talking on a ham radio during a spectacular display of northern lights... and race to stop a killer before he strikes again.

I especially enjoyed the way the police detective in the film describes how it feels to have several different memories after reality shifts.  In one scene, John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) talks with his dad, Frank Sullivan (Dennis Quaid), on a ham radio. John describes how he recalls both the memories of how his father died in a burning warehouse and also the memories of how his dad rescued a woman and emerged unscathed from that same fire. John says in amazement, "I remember both... at the same time. It's like waking up from a dream and you're not sure what's real. I remember you being here, but I also remember when you weren't."

This film is especially meaningful for anyone seeking insight into that phenomenon when your keys, purse, or sock aren't where you know you left them. The bonus features on this DVD are also highly enjoyable and include excellent scientific commentaries on the subject of solar flares, the aurora borealis, and string theory.

Very well-done 80's style time travel movie
In many ways, this movie is a variation of the concept the movie "Back to the Future" explored, with a slightly more deeper focus on the character-relationships between the father and the son character. Perhaps it is the presence of Dennis Quaid that makes it feel like an 80's film. Or maybe it is the changing-past-altering-future time travel concept. Nevertheless, it's a fun concept to explore, the idea of being able to communicate with somebody from the past through a radio, and thus warning that person in the past, thus altering the events of the present. This is basically what happens when John, a police detective, finds himself communicating with his presently dead father in the past through a HAM radio and manages to prevent his death. As a result, it somehow results in a set of serial murders, of which John must try to solve (with a help of his dad). The relationship between the father and son are quite endearing and the mystery thriller and sci-fi elements are an interesting bonus.

New Line dropped the ball!!!
All the other reviews will explain the plot etc, what I will say is that It is one of my favorite movies along with my wife's.

It leaves you smiling at the end , One other thing in an Interview Dennis Quaid said New Line dropped the ball because they did not promote it well enough...........I could not agree more.

Frequency (2000)
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Andre Braugher, Elizabeth Mitchell, Noah Emmerich.
Running Time: 118 minutes.
Rated PG-13 for language and violence.

Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel both give fine performances in this quirky science-fiction drama that combines "Back to the Future" and "The Field of Dreams". The film opens in the year 1969, with fire-fighter Dennis Quaid first introducing the game of baseball (specifically the Amazin' Mets of that season) to his son, John. Fast-forward to thirty years later, in which John (Caviezel) is a lonesome, washed-ed ex-college baseball great turned cop who stumbles upon his deceased father's old ham radio.

One night, John uses the radio to connect with a man in the area, later discovering that he is talking to his father in the past. When the father avoids death in a fire that was supposed to take his life, John realizes that he can use this uncanny communication to help him with a serial killer murder case. The two join forces to change the course of history in order to save the lives of the killer's next victims.

Clever premise certainly works for the most part, although there are some twists that do not seem to fit. Hoblit uses the theme of baseball as the connecting link between the father and son, which is an overdone aspect in modern film; however, the script is smart and swift, making "Frequency" a film worth the while.

Don't Miss This One Almost Everyone Including Me Missed
With a little extra spending money I picked up a few DVD's 'to take a chance on', hoping for one gold nugget. Well, this one is just that. I have watched it several times in a few months, and have made a point of lending it out to my friends simply saying 'trust me, you'll enjoy it'. It has come back each time with positive to glowing reviews, and a smile showing each person did enjoy it.
The script is well thought out! Tell me how many times you've watched a movie that seemed to have been roughed out on a napkin the night before they started filming? The story moves forward with... a couple surprises/twists that fit perfectly into the storyline, but doesn't overshadow the identification with and the developement of the characters. Great casting. I have been a Dennis Quaid fans for over a decade, and Jim Cavieziel was a pleasant discovery for me.
I missed this in the theatre. Not too many people went to see it. Man, I might have missed it altogther had I not had a few dollars to spend... and in this case, that would have been a bad thing. You'll enjoy it, trust me. ... Read more