IMDb > Primal Fear (1996)
Primal Fear
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Primal Fear (1996) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 31 | slideshow) Videos (see all 9)
Primal Fear (1996) -- A high profile lawyer defends a man accused of murdering an Archbishop
Primal Fear (1996) -- Clip: Not guilty
Primal Fear (1996) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   34,548 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 34% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gregory Hoblit
Writers (WGA):
William Diehl (novel)
Steve Shagan (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Primal Fear on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 April 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
Sooner or later a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real. more
Plot:
An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(27 articles)
tMF Featured Trailer: Edward Norton's Leaves of Grass!
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 16 November 2009, 7:32 AM, PST)
tMF Featured Trailer: Edward Norton's Leaves of Grass!
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 16 November 2009, 7:32 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Excellent film more (171 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Richard Gere ... Martin Vail

Laura Linney ... Janet Venable

John Mahoney ... Shaughnessy

Alfre Woodard ... Shoat

Frances McDormand ... Molly

Edward Norton ... Aaron

Terry O'Quinn ... Bud Yancy

Andre Braugher ... Tommy Goodman

Steven Bauer ... Joey Pinero

Joe Spano ... Abel Stenner
Tony Plana ... Martinez

Stanley Anderson ... Archbishop Rushman

Maura Tierney ... Naomi Chance

Jon Seda ... Alex
Reg Rogers ... Jack Connerman
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for brief grisly violence, pervasive strong language and a sex scene.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
129 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #33986) | Iceland:16 | Canada:A (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) | 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 more
Company:
Paramount Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This is Edward Norton's motion picture debut. more
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." more
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."
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "20 to 1: Movie Saints and Sinners (#5.6)" (2007) more
Soundtrack:
Pammy Slam more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
15 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
Excellent film, 19 April 2007
8/10
Author: Grann-Bach (Grann-Bach@jubii.dk) from Denmark

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

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Primal Fear (1996)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
This movie makes no sense without Aaron (Spoiler Alert) lily1225
Movies with big twists? sealforreal45
*SPOILERS* sorta.... Is it me or.......... ednortonfan1
soooooooooo unsexy sheppard330
What was the 'very bad thing' Vail did? fearandloathing155
Music tidypainter
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