Primal Fear (1996)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Gregory Hoblit

Writers (WGA):

William Diehl (novel)
Steve Shagan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

Sooner or later a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real.

Plot:

An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.

Plot Keywords:

Choir | Male Nudity | Altar Boy | Housing Project | Psychopath

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Richard Gere	...	Martin Vail
Laura Linney	...	Janet Venable
Edward Norton	...	Aaron Stampler
John Mahoney	...	John Shaughnessy
Frances McDormand	...	Dr. Molly Arrington
Alfre Woodard	...	Judge Miriam Shoat
Terry O'Quinn	...	Bud Yancy
Andre Braugher	...	Tommy Goodman
Steven Bauer	...	Joey Pinero
Joe Spano	...	Capt. Abel Stenner
Tony Plana	...	Martinez
Stanley Anderson	...	Archbishop Richard Rushman
Maura Tierney	...	Naomi Chance
Jon Seda	...	Alex
Reg Rogers	...	Jack Connerman (as Reg Rodgers)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief grisly violence, pervasive strong language and a sex scene.

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #33986) | Iceland:16 | Canada:A (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 (bw) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Australia:MA (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Ballroom, Park Plaza Hotel - 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

When trying out for the role of the altar boy, Edward Norton went into the audition in character, complete with stutters and all, and this won his role.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In one of the first scenes in Martin Vail's office, he uses the word "illegibly" instead of the correct word "allegedly."

Quotes:

[first lines]
Marty: On my first day of law school, my professor says two things. First was; "From this day forward, when your mother tells you she loves you - get a second opinion."
Jack Connerman: [chuckles] And?
Marty: "If you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you wanna get fucked, go to court."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Big Wolf on Campus: The Pleasantville Strangler (#1.6)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)

Decent thriller that relies heavily on a solid cast.

Rating: ** 1/2 out of ****

Here's a film I remembered being a huge fan of back when I first saw it in theaters in '96. Seeing it again for the third time since, it doesn't quite live up to my fond memories. Aside from Edward Norton's scene-stealing performance as suspect Aaron Stampler, there's really not much about the film that separates it from most of the genre. The plot, concerning the murder of a beloved archbishop at the alleged hands of an innocent-looking altar boy and the eventual high-profile trial, is certainly rife with potential but is never executed beyond the level that's expected of a competent pulp thriller.

But credit should be given where it's due, especially the first hour of the film, which does a pretty solid job of setting up the film as an engrossing mix of murder mystery and courtroom drama. The performances are all solid, with Richard Gere providing yet another effective variation of the slick, cocky persona (this time as a "big-shot attorney") he's mastered and Laura Linney acting convincingly stressed out and aggravated by the understandably vexing situation her character's been placed in.

But with all the pieces in place in the first half, the film never quite results in the tight, suspenseful thriller we expect. The most noticeable problem is excess baggage, with the film too often straying from the case at hand and veering towards less interesting tangents. There's just too much chaff here, with subplots that include the romantic tension between Linney and Gere, the writer doing the article on Vail, and the housing development project that simply takes up too much of the movie's already overlong running time.

Equally problematic is a major plot twist halfway through which, while effective in its own right and allows the opportunity for Norton to stretch his considerable acting talent, ultimately lessens the speculative tension that these thrillers usually rely on. From that point on, most of the enjoyment is derived from Norton's performance, and though it's not quite the show-stopper I once considered it to be (probably doesn't help I just saw this flick after his absolutely incredible performance in American History X), it's still one of the better debut performances any actor has ever put forth.

It's with some relief that I can at least say the film saves its best scenes for last (the last three minutes are quite memorable), and definitely finishes things off on a high note. Primal Fear was directed by Gregory Hoblit, who's actually proved himself a pretty skillful filmmaker when it comes to crafting thrillers. This one's merely competent, no more and no less.