New film tries to take moviegoers beyond 'Primal Fear'

Gere, Linney reteam to battle the 'Mothman'

Richard Gere stars as a reporter in "The Mothman Prophecies."

By Andy Culpepper
CNN

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Richard Gere is reluctant to discuss the climactic scene involving the collapse of a bridge in his new film, "The Mothman Prophecies."

"I don't know if I want to give away much of this," says Gere, with a smile suggesting patience.

But the star doesn't have much choice about keeping the ending a surprise. He's been asked about it repeatedly, and "The Mothman Prophecies" also is based on true events so the outcome is no secret.

The movie concerns a strange being that haunted Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966 and 1967. The 7-foot-tall creature, nicknamed the Mothman for its winged appearance, apparently vanished after the collapse of the Ohio River bridge connecting Point Pleasant and Gallipolis, Ohio. The tragedy killed 46 people.

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For "The Mothman Prophecies," Gere teamed again with Laura Linney, his co-star from "Primal Fear," the 1996 film that helped make Edward Norton a star.

With its creepy premise, "The Mothman Prophecies" promises to go "Primal" one better, given that the Mothman has a tendency to turn up before accidents, deaths and other unpleasant happenings -- not to mention scaring the heck out of most everyone who comes in contact with it.

Gere plays a fictional big-city newspaper reporter, and Linney is an equally fictitious small-town cop. When his wife is killed in a car accident after seeing the Mothman, Gere travels to investigate the sightings in Point Pleasant, where Linney helps him.

The film had a successful opening weekend at the North American box office, taking in $11.8 million for a fourth-place finish, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Examining the paranormal

The movie unfolds in the manner of a suspense thriller, but Linney says it's not that easy to categorize.

"It's not a science-fiction movie, it's not a thriller, it's not an action-adventure movie," she says. "It's a film that examines the paranormal that is based on true events. And these events ... had a tremendous impact on people's lives."

Laura Linney, who was nominated for an Oscar last year for "You Can Count on Me," plays a small-town cop in "The Mothman Prophecies."

Linney and Gere got a first-hand account of the impact, meeting a number of survivors during shooting.

In one scene, Gere recalls, his character has a conversation with a man who witnessed the bridge go down in 1967.

"I'm caught in traffic waiting to go over a bridge. I get out of the car to see what's going on," Gere says. "The guy gets out of the truck in front of me. He says, 'I don't know. It looks like there's a problem with the traffic lights down there.' That guy was actually on the bridge.

"He was very kind of normal about it," the actor continues. "It's like someone who's seen a car accident. You just kind of internalize it and say, 'That was really something.' You can see the images flipping in someone's head as long as they're recalling it."

Neither Gere nor Linney would speculate on whether the Mothman caused the tragedy, tried to warn people about it -- or if the creature really exists.

"I can't explain it at all," Linney says. "I have no answers. None."