Editing and music find their ultimate expression in Frequency. Future editors will learn from the craftsmanship seen in this movie, as will composers wishing to tap deeper into a specific emotional mind-set. My favourite scene? That’s easily the Buxton warehouse segment. It’s the turning point in a story brimming with ideas and originality.

Written by Toby Emmerich, Frequency follows the aurora borealis, a cosmic disturbance in the night sky. The way in which it affects the same ham radio in both 1969 and 1999 proves crucial in the lives of a fireman and his son. But what does this cosmic phenomenon have to do with the Buxton warehouse? Everything -- because when cop John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) is able to warn his father Frank (Dennis Quaid) about the impending danger, the scene appears set for a happy ending. Not quite -- because the Nightingale killer is on the loose and the Sullivans are the only ones capable of stopping him.

The latter scenario could sound contrived but doesn’t. Throwing in a Back to the Future style premise with a whodunit allows director Gregory Hoblit to be creative. His picture stretches credibility but not too far. Go along for the ride and the result may well surprise you.

The acting sets a new standard in the career of Dennis Quaid. I’m already a fan of his Jerry Lee Lewis impression in Great Balls of Fire. Frequency goes further. It allows Quaid to expand his horizons, to think about cause and effect.

Jim Caviezel astonishes me. How he can pull off those stunts and then deliver an actual performance that involves simply speaking over a radio – that’s a gifted actor.

Editor David Rosenbloom should become a star in his own right. Apart from the film’s clever plot, it’s an extremely moving action drama. When was the last time you saw a sequence loaded up with incident and detail that gave you goose bumps? I’ll give you a clue – there aren’t many, old or new. Frequency feels like the exception due to carefully edited story beats which play like music and move the soul.

(Released by New Line Cinema and rated "PG-13" by MPAA.)