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"The Mothman Prophecies" is allegedly "based on true events". To disclose what those events are would spoil your enjoyment of this ingenious thriller, which draws on urban legend to fashion a spooky supernatural yarn in the best traditions of .
Richard Gere plays John Klein, a Washington Post reporter whose life is wrecked when his wife Mary (Messing) dies suddenly. Two years later, en route to an assignment, he inexplicably finds himself 400 miles out of his way in Point Pleasant, West Virginia - a small town in the grip of mass hysteria, apparently caused by sightings of a red-eyed, winged creature dubbed the "Mothman".
Since Mary died drawing precisely the same creature, Klein's curiosity is understandably piqued. Ignoring the advice of the down-to-earth local sheriff (Linney), he digs deeper into the mystery, little realising that his own sanity could be on the line.
Director Mark Pellington made his name with the 1999 conspiracy thriller "Arlington Road", and he mines a similar vein of sweaty paranoia and nervous unease here.
This time round, however, his handling of narrative is not so assured, and "Mothman" takes some implausible and jarring diversions on the way to its dramatic ending.
Gere bounces back from the mawkish "Autumn in New York" to deliver a compelling and intense performance, though the talented Linney is poorly served by a role that blandly replicates Frances McDormand's "Fargo" character. Both, however, are overshadowed by Alan Bates, scene-stealing effortlessly as a reclusive boffin with all the answers.
