Primal Fear (1996)

Genre

Crime | Neo-noir | Thriller

Director

Gregory Hoblit

Country

United States

Cast

Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Reg Rogers, Terry O'Quinn, Andre Braugher, Steven Bauer, Joe Spano, Tony Plana, Stanley Anderson, Maura Tierney, Jon Seda, Kenneth Tigar

Plot

Famed defense lawyer Martin Vail (Richard Gere) volunteers his services to Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a Kentucky teenager charged with the murder of a Chicago archbishop. Covered with blood, Aaron was captured after a foot chase broadcast live on TV, making Vail certain that he could raise his profile by defending the guilty suspect. 

Opinion

Primal Fear is an entertaining thriller, with a good story and a surprising ending.
Richard Gere as Martin Vail does a good job. If I thought Edward Norton's performance was incredible in American History X, it is spectacular in Primal Fear: his best performance so far - excluding Birdman, which hasn't been released in my country yet.

Quotes

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

Rating

8.5/10