Queens’ homicide detective James Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) is more than a little surprised when he contacts his dead firefighter dad Frank (Dennis Quaid) via ham radio 30 years after the latter’s death in a blaze. The ostensible reason for this freakish situation is unusual sunspot activity but the specifics hardly matter in a scenario in which son saves father from accidental death only to set in motion a chain of events even more terrible. Though not a realistic tale the plot remains engaging up to a point. The film encourages the audience to suspend disbelief for a while but when the changes made in the past begin to affect the future in ways that even this implausible storyline cannot justify viewers may start sighing. However logic aside the story’s better strands and strong pacing helps keep us interested.
Caviezel’s strong performance along with Andre Braugher’s who plays a mutual friend in both past and present anchors the movie. Quaid is also compelling. On the other hand Jack Shepard (Shawn Doyle) the murderous cop is not convincing.
Director Gregory Hoblit keeps the film moving while including some obligatory relationship moments between father and son. Hoblit’s direction along with strong acting somehow manage to keep Toby Emmerich’s far-fetched script from fraying too much.
