Primal Fear

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Abraham P Apr 27, 2019 A generic legal drama elevated by Gere and Norton. Gregory Hoblit's legal thriller Primal Fear (1996) is a resplendent example of how a standard courtroom drama and 1990's thriller can be elevated by excellent performances. Richard Gere is great as a sleazy defense lawyer looking for fame and money, but who also wants to believe in the innocence of his clients. Gere's character feels like a real broken man on the edge, but his performance is complex with tender feeling and attempted empathy for his abused client. Edward Norton is a particular revelation of acting in his major motion picture debut Primal Fear. Norton plays a shy Southern young man with a stutter, who is thrust into a case out of his depth. Norton gives so many genuine moments of innocence and something else. The several twists based around his character are shocking and intriguing to say the least. Norton gives one of dramatic acting's finest with his inspired role in Primal Fear. Laura Linney is brilliant as the tough prosecutor trying to make a name for herself in the legal world. Her hard nosed insight and intuition is very fun to watch play out as a foil to Gere. Alfre Woodard is compelling as a strict judge dealing with a very trying case. John Mahoney is perfect as the underhanded business man and legal powerhouse overplaying his cards. Alongside an affectionate and empathetic showing from Frances McDormand as a psychologist, Primal Fear boasts a stacked cast of supporting actors and actresses. Unfortunately, the running time could have been edited down significantly with many scenes just going on for too long. I think the direction is solid, but very much standard fare. You are not amazed by the direction, but rather the interesting writing and convincing performances. The music feels oddly dated from James Newton Howard with few standout musical cues. The cinematography of Chicago, while pretty in a gritty way, feels out of fashion and dated in style too. It's not as gripping in its chase sequences as it is in the courtroom. The best scenes are when Gere and Norton are just talking in private. You will remember those scenes for sure. Primal Fear boils down to a pretty basic plot with controversial and explicit subject matter that is still highly relevant. The acting from Edward Norton, in particular, is what you should note from the dark and surprising world of Primal Fear. See more

Apr 15, 2019 De mis thrillers favoritos, gran complicidad entre Gere, Linney y Norton

Feb 2, 2019 The best courtroom movie ever made! With the best movie character ever portrayed: Edward Norton as Aaron Stampler!

Abraham S Jan 6, 2019 Interesting,thrilling great

Harry P Jan 1, 2019 Cookie cutter 90's courtroom flick that demonstrates the farce that is the insanity plea. Hence why the final twist is so uninspired. Who cares whether he's sane or insane when the real victim is the dead guy? See more

Han L Sep 24, 2018 Edward norton is great but it's a predictable movie.

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Primal Fear

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