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Primal Fear (1996) 7.6
Ratings:
7.6/10 from 82,851 users
Metascore: 47/100
Reviews: 208 user | 73 critic | 18 from Metacritic.com An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep. Director:Gregory Hoblit |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Richard Gere | ... | ||
| Laura Linney | ... | ||
| John Mahoney | ... |
Shaughnessy
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| Alfre Woodard | ... | ||
| Frances McDormand | ... |
Molly
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| Edward Norton | ... | ||
| Terry O'Quinn | ... |
Bud Yancy
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| Andre Braugher | ... |
Tommy Goodman
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| Steven Bauer | ... |
Joey Pinero
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| Joe Spano | ... |
Abel Stenner
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| Tony Plana | ... |
Martinez
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| Stanley Anderson | ... |
Archbishop Rushman
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| Maura Tierney | ... |
Naomi Chance
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| Jon Seda | ... |
Alex
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| Reg Rogers | ... |
Jack Connerman
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Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Courtroom thriller about a slick, hotshot lawyer who takes the seemingly unwinnable case of a young altar boy accused of murdering an eminent catholic priest. Written by Jonathan Broxton <j.w.broxton@sheffield.ac.uk>
Taglines:
Sooner or later a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for brief grisly violence, pervasive strong language and a sex scene | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
3 April 1996 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Iskonski strah See more »Filming Locations:
Ballroom, Park Plaza Hotel - 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$30,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
JPY 115,361,300 (Japan) (15 November 1996)Gross:
JPY 197,208,300 (Japan) (6 December 1996)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
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."
See more »
from Requiem
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as W.A. Mozart)
Performed by Wiener Sängerknaben (as Wiener Sängerknaben)
Courtesy of Capriccio
by arrangement with Source/Q
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
At the Catholic Charities dinner, the Archbishop is addressed as "Your Excellency". Assuming he was a Cardinal (since he was wearing red, not purple) he should have been addressed as "Your Eminence". See 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."
See more »
Soundtracks
"Lacrimosa"from Requiem
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as W.A. Mozart)
Performed by Wiener Sängerknaben (as Wiener Sängerknaben)
Courtesy of Capriccio
by arrangement with Source/Q
See more »
It's not often that viewers get a chance to watch a star being born - that a talented unknown actor's performance that is so spectacular it leads to the A-list in one role is rare: Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise to name a recent few. But Edward Norton's turn as the "defendant/victim" in Primal Fear is one of those "Wow" moments that leaves the audience salivating for his next performance. In this feature debut, Norton outdistances his role, as does Richard Gere, in a resurrection no less impressive than Norton's star-making turn. Heretofore, Gere has specialized in assorted intelligent professional cad roles. Here, he gets a chance to inhabit one that not only wears his dubious character on his sleeve, but wears it, drives it, drinks it... revels in it. Yeah, sure somewhere there's a heart of gold, but like his client, the layers on top serve him better, and the heart of gold is tarnished. Gere is at his peak, comfortably, cheerfully inhabiting the role.
Laura Linney deserves extra credit for often being the ice-queen foil which propels the two male characters' development; her own character is rather one- dimensional, but she herself squeezes as much dazzle as she can from it. Even though everyone else obviously falls for whatever Gere's Vail purrs into their ears, it's merely enough time for Linney's Janet to get a drag on her ubiquitous cigarette; another step in what will (hopefully) someday be film's love affair with her. Wasted, sadly, are fine character actors like John Mahoney, Steven Bauer, Maura Tierney & Andre Braugher who could have lit up the screen had they not been handed scripts with generic character stereotypes.
See it to watch the ascension of Norton and Gere.