Review: 'Premonition' Has Fuzzy Vision

'Premonition' (PG-13)(out of four)

Sandra Bullock has made some interesting choices in her career. The actress achieved her greatest successes with light comedies, from "While You Were Sleeping" to "Miss Congeniality," and of course, along the way there was the action-thriller "Speed," which first really put her on the map (let's forget about "Speed 2").

But her more unusual roles have usually been much darker: the troubled detective in the crime-drama, "Murder By Numbers" and the struggling boozer in "28 Days." And now, Bullock attempts to push the envelope again - with mixed results -- with the new suspense-drama, "Premonition."

Bullock plays Linda Hanson, the mother of two young daughters and husband of car salesman Jim Hanson (Julian McMahon of television's "Nip/Tuck"). The passion of their marriage seems to have disappeared long ago, and the family seems to be just going through the motions.

But that doesn't mean the grief isn't any less real when Linda gets the news that her husband has died in a gruesome automobile accident while on a business trip.

Although she's consumed with sorrow, Linda slowly begins to pick up on some weird goings-on. A strange woman shows up at the funeral, and then quickly drives off. A dead crow is discovered in her yard. One of her daughters suddenly appears with strange cuts on her face. And then, things really get weird: In a scene reminiscent of "Dallas" when a deceased Bobby Ewing shows up taking a shower, Linda wakes up one morning to discover that her husband is still among the living.

That is, until the next morning when he's still dead -- and then alive again the next day, and then dead. Soon enough, Linda realizes that the days when her husband comes back are the days just prior to his death.

Slowly, Linda tries to put together all the clues she's been getting. Each day she figures out a little bit more (think "Groundhog Day" without the laughs).

The story is complex, not something you might have expected from screenwriter Bill Kelly, who previously did the forgettable, "Blast From the Past" with Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone. German-Turkish director Mennan Yapo seems to know what he's doing in his first American film, as the story begins to pick up steam after a painfully slow start.

There are enough loose ends floating around that the audience is drawn in, anxious to find out how all the pieces will fit together. Bullock delivers an excellent performance, as she goes from grieving widow to a woman determined to get to the bottom of what has happened to her and her family. The actress is in virtually every shot of the movie, with one big emotional scene after another. One of the best is where she meets with a priest to talk about what's happened.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, the ending of this film is sadly lacking. Those who aren't infuriated may find themselves depressed and disappointed. At least the scenery is pretty: the film was shot in Shreveport, La., which the filmmakers decided on after their initial location, New Orleans, was hit by Hurricane Katrina.