Primal Fear (1996)

Director:

Gregory Hoblit

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

3 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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:

Altar Boy | Murder | Bishop | Courtroom | Catholic

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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

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 | Canada:18A | 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:

Continuity: While Vail, Tommy, and Naomi are discussing the porno tape, the blue screen of a computer monitor is reflected in Tommy's glasses. But in the reverse shot (showing Vail) the monitor is off.

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:

Featured in Psychology of Guilt (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

As Time Goes By

Excellent cast shines in this awesome Court room thriller.

An arrogant, high-powered attorney (Richard Gere) takes on the case of a poor altar boy(Edward Norton) found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not have been a "third person" in the room during the murder. The intensity builds when a surprise twist alters everyone's perception of the crime and what really happened...

Even if you don't like Court room dramas, i still highly recommend you to watch Primal Fear because it has an awesome cast, Norton in particular shines in this movie in his first big screen role and the twist ending is just plain awesome, definitely in the same caliber as The usual Suspects, Fight club etc...

Watch it and be prepared to be surprised.

4.5/5