Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, John Mahoney, Steven Bauer, Alfre Woodard, Andre Braugher
Primal Fear is an above-average courtroom drama about a hotshot lawyer who loves to defend seemingly guilty clients in high-profile cases. He won't find any client who fits that bill more than Aaron Stampler (Norton), an altar boy who fled from a gruesome murder scene of a Chicago archbishop with the archbishop's blood all over him. How does he account for this? The genial, stuttering, naive Stampler says there was someone else in the room and that he "lost time", (his country way of saying blacked out) and didn't remember anything about the murder. The lawyer, Martin Vail (Gere) offers his services and may even believe the young man.
Vail is up against a lot as the case proceeds the trial. His ex-girlfriend Janet Venable (Linney) is the prosecuting attorney, his former employer DA John Shaughnessy (Mahoney) is seeking the death penalty and was close friends with the slain archbishop, and his investigators are having a difficult time finding evidence that someone other than Aaron is the murderer. There is talk of a real estate deal involving the archbishop that went very bad, costing important people millions of dollars. Is this a reason the archbishop was killed? Vail himself loves the publicity and the hoopla, but is he able to face the truth about his client? What exactly happens when Aaron "loses time"? A psychologist working with Vail (McDormand) has an answer that may not be of much comfort.
The film is wound-up and tense, with an evil pall surrounding the proceedings. "I just want to go home and wash my hands of you and this case," Janet tells Martin and his client. The introduction of evidence that the archbishop also had sexual encounters with his altar boys (and a young woman) makes the waters even murkier. Gere plays Vail as an intelligent, experienced attorney who knows how to navigate the shark-infested waters of Chicago courtrooms and politics. It's a great performance from an actor who leans toward slick, superficial characters, but possesses genuine charisma and talent on full display here.
The question of Aaron's guilt is later answered and a Big Reveal takes place in the final minutes, which shows the true nature of Aaron and his blackouts. This was Norton's film debut and he was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor. He is deftly able to portray someone who appears to be innocent and guilty at the same time. You'll see what I mean. It is Aaron who puts Martin in an ethical and professional bind at the end. We begin to wonder which of the two is actually the prisoner.
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