Primal Fear (1996)

Primal Fear is a solid courtroom thriller with one astonishing performance in it. Edward Norton was twenty-six and unknown, and he walked away with a film built around Richard Gere.

Gregory Hoblit directed it in 1996. I give it an 8.

The Premise

The Archbishop of Chicago is found butchered in his rooms, and a nineteen-year-old altar boy named Aaron is caught running from the scene covered in blood. Martin Vail, a defense lawyer who loves cameras, takes the case for free because of the publicity. Aaron is gentle, frightened and has a stammer, and swears he blacked out. Vail starts to believe him, and to find out what the archbishop was doing to the boys in his care.

The Norton Performance

Norton won the Golden Globe and was nominated for the Oscar, and I won’t say much about why, because the performance is the film’s surprise. It’s an extraordinary debut, and it’s the only reason people still talk about this picture.

The Gere Performance

Gere is better than he’s usually given credit for. Vail is vain, clever and cynical, and the film is about him discovering that cynicism isn’t enough. Laura Linney plays the prosecutor, his former girlfriend, and their scenes are sharp. Frances McDormand is the psychiatrist, and John Mahoney is the district attorney with his own reasons to want the case closed quickly.

The Courtroom

The trial is well built, with a real sense of strategy on both sides, and the film is willing to show a defense lawyer who knows exactly how to manipulate a jury. The city corruption subplot is less interesting and takes up too much time.

The Ending

It has a twist. Go in blind if you can. The final scene is the best in the film and one of the best closing moments of any nineties thriller.

Craft Note

Is Primal Fear worth watching?

Yes. It’s an 8, a good legal thriller with a great debut. Don’t read about the ending first.

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