Amazon.com video review:
Clever twists and a bona fide surprise ending make this an
above-average courtroom thriller, tapping into the post-O.J. scrutiny
of our legal system in the case of a hotshot Chicago defense attorney
(Richard Gere) whose latest client is an altar boy (Edward Norton)
accused of murdering a Catholic archbishop. The film uses its own
manipulation to tell a story about manipulation, and when we finally
discover who's been pulling the strings, the payoff is both convincing
and pertinent to the ongoing debate over what constitutes truth in the
American system of justice. Making an impressive screen debut that has
since led to a stellar career, Norton gives a performance that rides
on a razor's edge of schizophrenic pathology--his role is an actor's
showcase, and without crossing over the line of credibility, Norton
milks it for all it's worth. Gere is equally effective in a role that
capitalizes on his shifty screen persona, and Laura Linney and Frances
McDormand give memorable performances in their intelligently written
supporting roles. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com video review:
Newcomer Edward Norton became an instant movie star in 1996
with three amazing performances in Primal Fear, The People vs. Larry
Flynt, and Everyone Says I Love
You. Make that four amazing performances, because in Primal
Fear he plays a young man named Aaron Stampler whose personality
seems to be divided in two: one tough and cynical, the other shy and
fearful. Richard Gere plays Martin Vail, the slick Chicago attorney
who defends Aaron on charges of brutally murdering an archbishop who
may have sexually molested Aaron and other boys in his parish. The
courtroom suspense is nail-biting as the jaded hotshot Vail comes to
care about the case and the defendant. This is one of the better legal
dramas of recent years, with plenty of juicy twists and turns. Frances
McDormand (who was soon to win an Oscar for Fargo) plays a
psychiatrist. --Jim Emerson
