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All Movie Info
Starring:
Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Terry O'Quinn, Andre Braugher, Steven Bauer, Joe Spano, Tony Plana, Stanley Anderson, Maura Tierney, Jon Seda
Directed By:
Gregory Hoblit
Written By:
Steve Shagan, Ann Biderman
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Primal Fear (1995)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
March 20th, 2008
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'Primal Fear' is one of the smartest and most involving legal thrillers I have ever seen. Its labyrinthine plot begins modestly with the gruesome murder of revered Chicago archbishop Richard Rushman (Stanley Anderson) in the bedroom of his private estate. Flamboyant lawyer Martin Vail (Richard Gere) lends his services free of charge to the only suspect, a young man named Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), who was caught by police fleeing the crime scene covered in blood. He is a soft-spoken lad from Kentucky, living on the streets before being taken in by the church. Martin believes Aaron is innocent, but he takes his case primarily for the inevitable publicity, as he is swarmed by reporters and gets massive press coverage. Martin goes up against assistant DA Janet Venable (Laura Linney), an equally ruthless litigator who incidentally also happens to be one of his former lovers. The tension between Martin and Janet derives not just from the fact that they had a relationship, but by the fact that she still works for John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney), whom Martin used to work for, and now despises.
No one is what he or she seems. Martin is arrogant and overconfident, brilliantly argumentative and persuasive in court, but there are developments even he cannot foresee, and he also starts to doubt himself and his ability to save Aaron's life. Shaughnessy has a lot of dirty secrets, and so too does the Archbishop, and the connection between those two men is just one of many surprises the film throws at its audience. The biggest one though is the identity of the real killer; Aaron was not lying when he says that there was somebody else in the room, and this leads to a twist ending that could join the ranks of The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense in how it blindsides the viewer. Frances McDormand is Molly Arrington, a psychologist who is asked by Martin to evaluate Aaron. There is the possibility that the movie simply has too much; building layer upon layer, but it does resolve all of the central questions, even while leaving a few minor ones unanswered. What exactly happens to Shaughnessy? What becomes of Alex, one of Aaron's friends and fellow altar boys? This is one of Gere's best performances. He is joined by a uniformly excellent cast, though Linney, McDormand, and Alfre Woodard all stand out above the rest. And Norton is in a class all by himself in his film debut. His performance is extraordinary, all the more so when you realize the truth about his character.
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 | Suzanne
Mar 20, 2008 8:48 PM
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I remember the days when i would wear this VHS tape out playing it over and over again.
The one part that pisses me off is when Janet meets Marty at the bar about the "mysteriously" placed tape that she found. She orders a freakin martini and doesnt even drink it! What a waste. |
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