It's not often that filmmakers promote the impending death of a major character in a film. But in the case of "Premonition" -- a mind-bending psychological thriller in which a woman (Sandra Bullock) tries to head off the disturbing visions of her husband's (Julian McMahon) demise and its harsh aftermath -- it's an absolute necessity.

Of course, part of the thrill of watching "Premonition" is not knowing the entire way through whether McMahon's character, Jim, will live or die -- a factor that appealed to the "Nip/Tuck" star when he first read the script.

"It's a cat and mouse game," McMahon said in a recent @ The Movies interview. "You'll be doing a little bit of guesswork on this one."

Also starring Amber Valetta, Nia Long and Kate Nelligan, the film opens in theaters Friday.

Anyone familiar with the provocative television drama "Nip/Tuck," which will be back for its fifth season in the fall, knows that McMahon has an amazing command over his character, Dr. Christian Troy -- a complex, womanizing plastic surgeon that you loathe one week and love the next.

"I don't know if I'll ever get the opportunity to play a role like Christian again," McMahon said. "That's why I love the fact that it's in a TV show so I can go back and play it again. You get to grow over a period of time instead of putting it into one movie. The love-hate relationship that you have with him is a very important part of the show and an important part of who he is."

Needless to say, playing a character as rich as Christian makes it very difficult for McMahon when he's searching roles outside of the series -- which testifies to the strength he found in his character, Jim, in "Premonition." On the face of things, Jim might seem like a great guy, but everything is not as it seems.

And that's where the film adds an interesting layer: It's not solely about a wife desperately looking for a way to prevent her husband's death -- she also in a short time must find time to restore a relationship that's been falling apart for years. True, the movie is at its heart a psychological thriller, but there's also a heartbreaking love story that's woven within.

"They're plodding along in their lives and never communicating, creating an enormous void," McMahon said. "They're raising two kids and living a life as almost shells of who they once were to each other -- she goes through a massive journey and he goes through a smaller journey, but at the end of the day, they've got to make a choice to try it again and see if they can find the people we love to begin with."

Deep Thoughts

Thankfully, McMahon said that he hasn't had one close to him come up to notify him of his impending death. But while "Premonition" posed to him a special sort of insight into facing the dilemma, the actor remains unsure what he'd actually do in real life.

"It's a tough question -- I don't know how I'd react, even if it's someone I know and trust," McMahon wondered aloud. "If it were the circumstances of the movie -- where Sandra's character was being so weird and bizarre and their relationship was in such turmoil -- I can't imagine but doing what Jim did. I'd have to say things like, 'What do you want me to do? Do you want me to stay here? Is that going to stop the situation? Should I put myself in a bunker and stay there for six months? Do I not go to work?'

"It's a difficult and complex situation," McMahon added. "You just don't know, even near the end, whether she is paranoid or even crazy. I wouldn't have trusted her under the circumstances."

On the flip side, McMahon said that he hasn't had premonitions -- although he's had instances in his life that may imply as much.

"I've had thoughts about things, like thinking about somebody and the phone rings and it's them -- or an imagination of things might go at a certain time and goes exactly that way," McMahon said. "But nothing enormous like the movie."

"Premonition" is also fascinating in that it forces you to question how our lives really unfold. Are you one who believes people's paths destined -- or can those paths be controlled by one's own free will?

McMahon thinks it's a little bit of both.

"I think it's laid out in some abstract kind of way, and it's all about the choices that you make," McMahon said. "Then you come to these crossroads in your life, and you make a choice to take one road or make a choice to take the other. That will send you on a different path, but in a way I feel that that's almost planned. That's why I think it's a bit of a combination."

While McMahon may or may not be doomed in "Premonition," fans of his villainous Dr. Doom will take comfort in the fact that the character will be back in full swing in the upcoming "Fantastic Four" sequel, "Rise of the Silver Surfer."

"Dr. Doom is all about destroying the planet and destroying the Fantastic Four," McMahon said. "It's going to be great fun."