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Primal Fear
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Primal Fear (1996)

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User Rating: 7.5/10 (25,608 votes)
Photos (see all 31 | slideshow)

Overview

Director:
Gregory Hoblit
Writers (WGA):
William Diehl (novel)
Steve Shagan (screenplay) ...
more
Release Date:
3 April 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Thriller | Crime 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
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 4 nominations more
User Comments:
Not just another court room drama more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

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)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for brief grisly violence, pervasive strong language and a sex scene.
Runtime:
129 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (DeLuxe)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
MOVIEmeter: ?
V 4% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

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. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Joey Pinero hands Marty a CD of Dulce Pontes, and says that the music he liked is the fourth track. In that album, the song used in the film is, in fact, the first track. 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:
Referenced in "Big Wolf on Campus: The Pleasantville Strangler (#1.6)" (1999) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
39 out of 52 people found the following comment useful:-
Not just another court room drama, 26 January 2005
8/10
Author: Philip Van der Veken from Tessenderlo, Belgium

I was convinced that "Primal Fear" would be the type of courtroom drama that Hollywood seems to use to pave the streets with. You know what I mean: Someone gets wrongly accused of some mischief, he can't pay a lawyer, but of course there is one who is really interested in the case and he is prepared to defend the poor guy anyway. The defender finds some wholes in the police investigation or in the statement of the other party and knows to prove the innocence of his client and even get a big indemnity. Well, I was wrong, for once this was a courtroom drama that had a bit more to offer than the usual story line and twists. In fact, this was even a very enjoyable movie.

Even though I'm not really a fan of Richard Gere (I'm not a woman, so no I don't like him because the way he looks, I only look at his acting), I have to admit that this time he really did a very good job as the slick, media-friendly, arrogant lawyer Martin Vail. Still, in my opinion the real star in this movie is Edward Norton. He's really excellent as the altar boy who is accused of murdering a Catholic bishop.

For once the story isn't as predictable as usual. At first the case seems rather clear: an altar boy is running away from the home of the bishop, with blood all over his clothes. No doubt about it you think, he did it, case closed, next movie! But than the first interesting twist in the movie appears: Yes, he was at the murder scene, but he can't remember anything about the grisly murder, because at that exact moment he got a blackout. He's convinced that there was a third person in the room. That third person must have killed the bishop, he's innocent. His lawyer tries to prove the third man theory in the court room, but as the process comes nearer to the end, some new evidence will make everything a lot clearer and more interesting...

As I already said, this movie is more than just worth a watch, thanks to the rather innovative story line and characters. For once, this movie didn't annoy me more than I could ever like it. That's already worth a lot, so I give it a well deserved 8/10.

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Edward Norton dreamescapes101
Spoiler..I have a question about.. deformed
Gere was excellent aswell people! d_moz
why is it titled this? lauren12525
Question about 'Aaron' (spoilers) lexiepepsi
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