Primal Fear

It's not often that viewers get a chance to watch a star being born - that a talented unknown actor's performance that is so spectacular it leads to the A-list in one role is rare: Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise to name a recent few. But Edward Norton's turn as the "defendant/victim" in Primal Fear is one of those "Wow" moments that leaves the audience salivating for his next performance. In this feature debut, Norton outdistances his role, as does Richard Gere, in a resurrection no less impressive than Norton's star-making turn. Heretofore, Gere has specialized in assorted intelligent professional cad roles. Here, he gets a chance to inhabit one that not only wears his dubious character on his sleeve, but wears it, drives it, drinks it... revels in it. Yeah, sure somewhere there's a heart of gold, but like his client, the layers on top serve him better, and the heart of gold is tarnished. Gere is at his peak, comfortably, cheerfully inhabiting the role.

Laura Linney deserves extra credit for often being the ice-queen foil which propels the two male characters' development; her own character is rather one- dimensional, but she herself squeezes as much dazzle as she can from it. Even though everyone else obviously falls for whatever Gere's Vail purrs into their ears, it's merely enough time for Linney's Janet to get a drag on her ubiquitous cigarette; another step in what will (hopefully) someday be film's love affair with her. Wasted, sadly, are fine character actors like John Mahoney, Steven Bauer, Maura Tierney & Andre Braugher who could have lit up the screen had they not been handed scripts with generic character stereotypes.

See it to watch the ascension of Norton and Gere.

My fiancée suggested I watch this, and when we found it for sale at a good price, we bought it right away. I must say, this is a marvelous and quite well-crafted film. The acting is top-notch all the way. Gere manages to make us care about a type of person that few like. O'Quinn is somewhat underused, as he is a magnificent actor, but apart from that, everyone gets a good chance to perform well, and they all live up to it. I would have to say that I now have a completely new-found respect for Norton... and I had a great deal of respect for him before even knowing of this movie. The plot is well-written and has good layers to it, especially for a movie of two hours(running time does put quite a limitation on the level of detail and intricacy of the plot). The pacing is really good, the movie never moves neither too fast nor too slowly. This is the second film I've seen that was directed by Gregory Hoblit... and the second that I've really, really liked(both have received 8's by yours truly, and very deservedly so), so I will most definitely keep an eye out for any future works by the man. I haven't read the book of the same title that this is based on, so I can't comment on how accurate and true to the tone this film is. I urge anyone intending to watch this to steer clear of any spoilers on it, because the plot is too good to ruin. I won't detail it here, I'll just say that the film has many court-room scenes, and deals with a very violent crime(and it's not the only occurrence in the film of a violent nature). For that same reason, since it is depicted graphically in the film(but not too much... there was nothing gratuitous about it), I urge anyone who believes they may not be able to handle seeing such to consider if they should watch it or not. There is also quite a bit of language, as well as a brief scene of sexual nature, so if such bother you, you may want to watch a censored version, if you are interested in seeing it. I recommend this very warmly to any fan of court-room dramas and thrillers. If you enjoy an engaging and involving thriller with surprises, this is the movie for you. 8/10

Martin (Richard Gere) is a very successful attorney in the Chicago area. However, his workaholic and limelight-seeking tendencies ruined one relationship with an underling (Laura Linney). Now comes the case of all cases. The archbishop of Chicago has been brutally murdered and the suspect is an innocent looking vagrant named Aaron (Edward Norton). Martin decrees that he MUST represent Aaron so he offers the young man his services pro bono, knowing the publicity for the trial will place them both squarely in the news for weeks and weeks. Yet, there is much evidence against Aaron. Despite his stuttering and guiltless demeanor, is Aaron truly not the killer? And, what is more important, justice or winning a case? This is a great, great movie, in many diverse ways. First, the performances are outstanding, with Gere giving a fine turn as the hotshot lawyer and Norton truly jawdropping as the murder suspect who looks like a choirboy. Linney does a nice turn as the district attorney and the other cast members are very well chosen, too. The Chicago setting shows the place as it is, a mixture of both wealthy and dismally poor neighborhoods. Costumes, especially Gere's lawyer garb, are very nice. Then, too, the script, based on a novel by William Diehl, is first rate and full of twists and turns, with a stunning maneuver at the finale. There are a few brief scenes of graphic violence, as the murder itself comes quite near the film's beginning, so there may be moments when you need to look away from the screen, if you are a bit squeamish. Also, if you are Catholic, there may be some parts of the story that are a bit offensive. But, all in all, if you love Gere or you long for interesting, intelligent thrillers, you should not miss Primal Fear. Why don't you speed off toward the video store and pluck this winner from the shelves tonight?

Riveting courtroom drama, starring Richard Gere, with occasional flashes of action. New to me faces that impressed are Laura Linney and Edward Norton, both of whom give outstanding performances against the ever reliable Gere, a sometimes underated star actor.

Kept me on the edge of my chair throughout. One of the best of the courtroom genre films that I have seen.

A coherent script, well directed and edited, leaving me guessing to the end, with a really neat twist in the final stage. Excellent.

If you want to see excellent acting in the service of an involving well told story this is a good place to start. Across the board there is not one weak performance. Gere has one of his very best roles as a fame loving attorney who chases a headline case that is more than he bargained for. He and the Laura Linney spar and parry both in and out of court with wonderful brio, she is his equal even if he is loath to admit it and the actress's personal strong persona fits the role perfectly. In a star making performance Edward Norton grabs his part by the throat and runs with it, a brilliant job and one that marked him as a true talent to watch. Each secondary roles is filled with top drawer character actors-Frances McDormand as an understanding therapist, Maura Tierney and Andre Braugher as Gere's assistants and on and on all deliver quality work. Alfre Woodard deserves special mention as the no nonsense slightly cantankerous judge who tipples a little on the side. She takes what could have been a throwaway part and makes her both memorable and humorous. A little overlong you won't notice so good is the acting and once it gets going the story keeps the interest level high.