Customer Reviews

Primal Fear

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The archbishop of Chicago has just been brutally murdered and 19-year old altar boy Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is found running from the scene, covered in the man's blood. It looks like an open and shut case against the simple, stuttering boy, until dashing Martin Vail (Richard Gere), a self-proclaimed "big-deal lawyer," offers to defend him - pro bono. The prosecutor he'll be facing in the courtroom is none other than his ex-girlfriend (Laura Linney), who is still bitter about their past. With the help of a psychologist (Frances McDormand), Vail discovers a shocking secret about young Aaron that may save his life.

This is a great movie; I've seen it many times and it never gets old. Gere is perfectly cast as the handsome and confident charmer, and Edward Norton surely had one of his best roles ever as Aaron - and this was his first movie role. He is so charismatic that you will not be able to take your eyes off him. The search for the killer's motive is intense and surprising, with lots of opportunities for Gere to showcase his tremendous appeal. Highly recommended for those who like character-driven mysteries.

When I had first laid eyes on Primal Fear on pay-per-view years ago I had first dismissed at as another Hollywood who-done-it courtroom drama with no originality. And was I ever wrong. Primal Fear may seem like something you've seen before, but the clever, highly intelligent, and twisting script makes the film soar to unexpected heights, and Edward Norton's breakout performace as murder suspect Aaron has to be seen to be believed (Norton would receive a Golden Globe and his first Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor which Cuba Gooding Jr. ended up winning for Jerry Maguire). Richard Gere has the starring role playing Norton's lawyer who seems to be the only one who believes Norton's innocence. With a super twist ending and a superb all star cast which includes Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Steve Bauer, John Mahoney, Maura Tierney, and Andre Braugher, Primal Fear is a near superb little gem that I strongly suggest seeing.

"I don't have to believe you. I don't care if you are innocent. I'm your mother, your father, your priest." This is what defense attorney Martin Vale (Richard Gere) tells his client, Aaron Stampler (Ed Norton), as they are preparing to defend him against charges of killing the Archbishop of Chicago.

Of course, later, Marty says: "I believe in the notion that people are innocent until proven guilty. I believe in that notion because I choose to believe in the basic goodness of people. I choose to believe that not all crimes are committed by bad people. And I try to understand that some very, very good people do some very bad things."

So--which one is true? Nobody is quite what they seem in this legal procedural that will keep you in your seat and your finger away from the 'Pause' button for its entire 2 plus hours' duration.

First, you see the kindly Archbishop attended by a heavenly choir at a charity function. The city loves him. But, is his public face the same one he wears when he's all by himself with the altar boys?

Did bumbling, stuttering Aaron kill the Archbishop. Nobody really wants to believe it.

Does Janet (Laura Linney) truly tow the company line as the assistant prosecutor? Well, and is she truly no longer interested in Marty?

The plot's got more twists than a pretzel factory. I no sooner thought I knew what was going on or what someone was going to to when they changed it on me.

"Primal Fear" is one of the best written and acted courtroom dramas I've seen. My only question to myself is why the heck did I wait this long?

Usually, I stay away from courtroom dramas because they're the same thing over and over, but this one truly is different. The story may seem a little familiar if you've seen films of this nature before, but I can guarantee that as you continue to watch it, you'll see how well this movie rises above the rest.

Making his first major debut, Edward Norton is nothing short if terrific in the role of Aaron. He was robbed of the Oscar for doing the great job that he did throughout. Richard Gere has never given a truly bad performance, but he does go a step above his usually sleepy-looking acting style by showing some good raw emotion. Andre Braugher has always been a great actor and will continue to be a great actor, and Laura Linney shows that she's always been a fine actress (nevermind the miserable CONGO). The direction by Gregory Hoblit is great and fast-paced and I recommend that you take a look at Hoblit's FALLEN if you liked this film.

I cannot rave enough about the acting here, so I'll just stop now, but first I have to end by saying that throughout this slick film, it never gets bogged down in pretentiousness, as many courtroom thrillers do. You'll love this film all the way up until the true shocker of an ending.

What a vehicle for Norton to kick off a career with! A great story with well written characters and a plot twist to send you shivering! (We will ignor the presence of Richard Gere so we may enjoy the movie!) This is the movie that brought the style and sophistication of Ed Norton into my view, and now I'm a huge fan! I believe that Norton is the best young actor we have in Hollywood today. Once you see Primal Fear, you'll be compelled to run out and see American History X, Rounders, and even clench your teeth through Everyone Says I Love You and Larry Flynt, just to see this brilliant actor sparkle!

"Fui bailar no meu batel alem do mar cruel," sings modern fadista Dulce Pontes in this movie's dynamic title song: "I went dancing in my boat, there on the cruel sea." And it must be just like a nutshell-sized boat dancing on a stormy ocean's waves that nineteen-year-old Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) feels after his arrest for the savage murder of Chicago's saintly Archbishop Rushman. Or does it?

Certainly it doesn't help that Aaron was caught running from the crime scene, covered in blood, and with the archbishop's ring in his pocket. Besides, who is going to believe him anyway - a stuttering, uneducated boy from rural Kentucky who was found begging by the powerful clergyman, taken in as an altar boy and made to sing in his choir - that he was present when the murder was committed but can't remember a single thing because he blacked out? Nobody; surely not the police and ADA Janet Venable (Laura Linney), assigned by D.A./Rushman friend Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) personally to try the case, with the express mandate to obtain a death penalty conviction. Nobody, that is, except Aaron's defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere). Vail, of all people: the flamboyant ADA-turned-private-practitioner, the star attorney not shying away from even the shadiest client, to whom TV and magazine cover interviews are as second nature as his courtroom appearances, and who cynically quotes as his mottos a professor's maxims on his first day in law school: "From this day forward, if your mother says she loves you, get a second opinion." And: "If you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you want to get f**ked, go to court."

"Primal Fear" was adapted from William Diehl's like-named bestselling novel and, like in many literary adaptations, its screenplay is a hit-and-miss affair. Not successful, in my view, are those alterations that unnecessarily make Vail an even more ethically questionable lawyer as already conceived by Diehl; such as the way he becomes Stampler's attorney in the first place (which in the movie amounts to blatant client solicitation; not to mention that no sane lawyer would introduce himself to a potential client with the words "I'm what you call a 'big shot' attorney"), and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a tape revealing the archbishop's not-so-nice private side (which in the novel isn't found by Vail but by his investigator Tommy Goodman [Andre Braugher]: of course that doesn't eliminate Vail's ultimate ethical responsibility, but contrarily to the movie, at least he doesn't "borrow" the tape from the crime scene himself, and he doesn't know in advance what Tommy is up to). Further, in the book the tape is not shown in open court and immediately introduced into evidence but viewed in the presence of only the judge and the attorneys, which given its contents seems more realistic (even if it were later introduced into evidence after all). On the other hand, particularly regarding the main characters the movie's alterations work well: Unethical or not, Richard Gere's Martin Vail is even more interesting than the character devised by Diehl; moreover, an unnecessarily cliched, ultraconservative judge nicknamed "Hangin'" Harry Shoat becomes an - although still tough - overall more multidimensional Judge Miriam Shoat (Alfre Woodard); similarly, Vail's mafia-affiliated client Joey Pinero (Steven Bauer) gains considerably in stature; and although it actually reinforces cliche to shift the love/sex relationship from the book's present one between Vail and psychiatrist Dr. Arrington (Frances McDormand) to the screenplay's past one between Vail and Venable (which the ADA now derogatorily calls "a one-night-stand [that] lasted six months"), thanks to Gere's and Linney's considerable on-screen chemistry their characters' personal relationship adds sparks and tension to their professional rivalry that also lend greater credibility to the final courtroom scene's powder-keg explosion.

Outstanding as all of its actors are, however, "Primal Fear" rises and falls with the performance of Edward Norton, and it is his breathtaking achievement that validates the movie more than anything. Then-newcomer Norton not only had to portray a boy almost a decade younger than himself (which he manages flawlessly) but also an incredibly complex character, sometimes shifting behavioral patterns, accents and manners of speech from one sentence to the next; and he delivers supremely, deservedly garnering an Oscar nomination (which in a year of extremely tight competition he lost to Cuba Gooding Jr. for "Jerry Maguire"), as well as a Golden Globe and several other awards, and together with his roles in "People vs. Larry Flynt" and Woody Allen's "Everybody Says I Love You" playing himself into public awareness once and, hopefully, for all.

Although "Primal Fear" is often cited for its final plot twist, anybody who has seen more than that occasional thriller can see its end coming somewhere halfway through the narrative (and I think that's true for both book and film - although I admit I hadn't read the novel when I first saw the movie). Moreover, the final twist depends on a feat on the part of Norton's character that lawyers and psychiatrists alike will find hard to take at face value. Thus, at first viewing this movie's end may appear a bit of a let-down. But trust me: The story grows on you the more often you watch it, and in my view it actually helps to know the end, because not only does this enable you to see the many nuances you necessarily missed the first time around; it also frees you to think about the moral issues addressed. For those reasons, and for the entire cast's - first and foremost Edward Norton's - fine performances, this has long become one of my favorite courtroom thrillers.

"[I believe that] things are not always as they appear, that sometimes facts can be manipulated the way a magician manipulates an audience. He distracts you with this hand, while the other hand does the tricks. It's called misdirection." - "Primal Fear," preface: from Martin Vail's summation in a case entitled "The State vs. Nicholas Luma."

Also recommended:
Primal Fear
Presumed Innocent
The Burden of Proof
The King of Torts
Sleepers
Mystic River (Three-Disc Collector's Edition)
Lagrimas

Since there are plenty of reviews on content, I will keep this short. I picked this movie up at a bargain bin price, and have not seen it since the release on VHS. Even though it runs over two hours, the movie keeps the viewer engaged with all the twists and turns.

Edward Norton provides an exceptional performance and is well cast for the role. I am not a fan of Richard Gere, but he does provide a good performance. This movie is R rated, with quite a bit of cursing that may be offensive to the unaware viewer.

The transfer to DVD is exceptional with great picture quality and a 5.1 track. There is limited surround sound, but the sound is excellent and there is good low bass at the right moments.

This is a good bargain bin purchase, and will warrant another viewing in a few years.

To be totally honest, this is a very much by-the-numbers legal thriller. Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Steven Bauer, John Mahoney and Andre Braugher all put in fine performances. The film has good moments of suspense and drama, and Gregory Hoblit directs the film with a modicum of passion and intensity. When all is said and done, this is a pretty unremarkable film...

...and then you have Edward Norton.

Edward Norton's ingenious performance is what elevates this film above and beyond a great many other legal thrillers. This being the first of many great performances to come from Norton, he brings a lovability, gullibility, quiet menace and unbridled fury to a role that could have easily been portrayed in a very TV-movie kind of way by a lesser performer. When he's on screen, the quality of the performers around him turns the dial up to eleven. He gives the role of Aaron Stampler a life of its own, and he's really the only actor in the film that you can sense isn't just pantomiming a character stereotype. Gere is the flashy, selfish, self-absorbed defense attorney; Linney is the cold-as-ice, tough-as-nails prosecutor; McDormand is the intelligent, maternal psychologist; Woodard is a tough-but-fair judge; Bauer plays essentially the same role he played in SCARFACE... anyway, you get the idea.

It's essentially a film that, if it had lacked Norton, would be maybe a 2-star movie at best, even with the shock ending. But because Norton is such a naturally gifted performer and the way that he sells the character and the shock ending is what elevates this film to a highly recommended 4-star film.

Also, bear in mind, Cuba Gooding Jr. for JERRY MAGUIRE beat Norton for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1996. What is Cuba Gooding Jr. doing now? After a string of embarassingly awful features, he's done nothing but Direct-to-DVD films and bad television shows. Norton... he's committed some of the most amazing performances to film since then and is still not recognized by the Academy.

Just another example of how frighteningly wrong the Academy can be.

Primal Fear is one of those movies you must see regardless whether or not you are a Richard Gere fan. Why? Simply because of Edward Norton's character. Martin Vail (Richard Gere) is a big shot attorney who defends Norton for free just so he can get some big time public recognition even though he already has it. Laura Linney is the prosecutor who also happens to be Vail's ex-girlfriend. Despite the story being interesting from start to finish, there is a big twist in the end due to the talented acting by Edward Norton. Now onto the DVD... Though the film is presented in widescreen, the bottom portion of the picture is cropped. This is not a huge problem if you have a widescreen TV yet is still very noticable. Aside from that, there are no special features (I don't consider theatrical trailers to be a special feature). I would have very much liked to have seen interviews with Richard Gere, Laura Linney, and of course Edward Norton. If you have a VHS, don't bother replacing it with the DVD unless it is completely worn out.

In PRIMAL FEAR, Richard Gere plays high-powered attorney Martian Vail. Vail is a defense attorney and one of the highest paid lawyers in the country. He has a reputation for getting guilty people off the hook, whether it is by emotion or technicality. Sometimes the accused are actually innocents, but the media never seems to recognize that. Besides, many of Vail's trial have been huge public trials full of media circuses. So when Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), an innocent-looking, stuttering altar boy is accused of brutally murdering Local Archbishop Richard Rushman (Stanley Anderson), Vail jumps at the opportunity to defend Stampler pro bono. Along the way, Vail becomes convinced of Stampler's innocence. The evidence points directly to Stampler, but as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that someone besides Stampler killed Rushman.

I've seen PRIMAL FEAR a number of times and though the initial shock of the film is dampened after the first viewing, the movie is still a powerful picture. PRIMAL FEAR is a movie that offers viewers a glimpse into the nature of evil and how good people can become unwitting pawns in the games of life.

PRIMAL FEAR was the motion picture debut of Edward Norton. Norton is one of the most talented actors in the business. His performance as Aaron Stampler is phenomenal and signaled the major player that Norton was to become.

The DVD only includes the trailer as a special feature.